The President of Westinghouse intends to continue the dispute over the technology of nuclear power plants in Poland. Poles want to build with the Americans, but also the Korean KHNP. However, the Americans maintain that the Koreans do not have the intellectual rights to the NPP they offered to Poland. This claim has been staunchly rejected by KHNP.
KHNP responds to Westinghouse’s claims
„The public statements made by the president of Westinghouse during the meeting with Polish journalists on April 26, 2023 and subsequent media publications are inaccurate in many respects,” the KHNP said in a statement. „In particular, the statements that indicate that KHNP has violated Westinghouse’s intellectual property rights and cannot export its own nuclear technology to Poland without Westinghouse’s prior consent are incorrect. There are no obstacles to the implementation of the KHNP nuclear power plant project in Poland,” the company claimed.
„Furthermore, it is not true that Westinghouse was granted permission to export technology to build a nuclear power plant in the United Arab Emirates,” the South Korean company said. „KHNP has built or operates a total of 8 APR1400 reactors in Korea, and has also successfully built four APR1400 reactors of the same model in the United Arab Emirates, which are in operation or are being commissioned,” the South Korean company said.
„Through the continuous implementation of a number of projects in Korea and abroad, KHNP has gained the capacity to build nuclear power plants in the shortest possible time and in the most economical way. Moreover, KHNP is recognized as a company that can build on time and within budget, which distinguishes it from the competition,” the Koreans argue. „Based on these capabilities, KHNP will successfully implement the Pątnów nuclear power plant project and contribute to stable energy supplies in Poland,” they promised.
The Polish government wants the first AP1000 reactor from Westinghouse to be ready in 2033. PGE and ZE PAK are interested in the technology APR1400 from KHNP and believe that the reactor can be completed in 2035. Westinghouse filed a lawsuit against the KHNP alleging that the Korean side did not have the right to export technology under a US license. The Koreans reject this interpretation. The matter has been commented on officially and unofficially by the president of Westinghouse.
KHNP / Wojciech Jakóbik
PGE and Orsted have selected a contract engineer for the construction of the onshore part of the Baltica project
Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE) and Orsted have signed an agreement with a consortium of companies “Energoprojekt-Katowice” and “Energopomiar” to act as contract engineer for investor supervision over the implementation of the onshore connection for the Baltica Offshore Wind Farm.
„It is very important for PGE to make the most of the potential of national suppliers when ensuring service providers in the supply chain for the Baltica Offshore Wind Farm. We are pleased to entrust the function of the contract engineer to a consortium consisting of Polish companies, thereby confirming that domestic companies have the appropriate potential to bid for such large investments related to offshore wind energy,” said PGE President Wojciech Dąbrowski, quoted in the company statement.
The contract engineer’s job includes constant supervision over the quality and progress of the work carried out by the general contractor. The scope of the signed agreement also includes participation in factory inspections and acceptances, as well as the organization of periodic health and safety inspections.
The onshore connection infrastructure for the Baltica Offshore Wind Farm will be built in the vicinity of the village of Osieki Lęborskie, in the Choczewo commune, in the Wejcherowo county in Pomerania. According to the schedule, the launch of both stages of the project, i.e. Baltica 2 with a capacity of approx. 1.5 GW and Baltica 3 with approx. 1 GW will take place in this decade.
Ørsted is a Danish-based company that is present in 10 markets, ranging from the United States to European countries to Asia. Ørsted develops, builds and operates offshore and onshore wind farms, solar farms, energy storage and bio power plants and supplies energy products to its customers. In 2020, the Group’s revenues amounted to 7.1 billion euros.
The PGE Group generates 41 percent of net electricity in Poland, and its share in the district heating market is 18 percent. The Group estimates its share in the renewable energy market at 10 percent, serving 5.5 million customers.
Polska Grupa Energetyczna / Jacek Perzyński
Grid operator had to to curb RES yet again
PSE, the grid operator in Poland, once again had to reduce the supply of energy from renewable sources in April in order to balance the electricity system.
PSE is responsible for the stability of energy transmission, which depends on the balance of supply and demand, which for the second time in April was disturbed by significant supply from renewable energy sources and lower demand due to the beginning of the holiday period at the end of April and start of May.
„On April 30, 2023, between 11 am and about 4 pm, the power supply in the National Power System was higher than the demand. This was caused by the significant potential of power generation from renewables, which exceeded the demand by about 2.3 GW at the time of highest power supply,” PSE informed. „Therefore, in order to balance supply and demand in the grid, PSE ordered the lowering of power generation from renewables. The degree by which the generation was lowered depends on the current operating conditions of the power system. PSE does not expect disruptions in the supply of electricity to national customers,” the company said.
The operator had to limit the supply of PV generated power on April 23 due to record supply and demand lower than forecast, as well as little interest in importing surplus energy from Poland.
Polish Electricity Networks / Wojciech Jakóbik