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Polish Briefing 5 July, 2021 9:15 am   

Polish Briefing: PGE does not take the closure of the Turów mine into account | Construction of nuclear power units in Poland to cost about PLN 105 bn

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What goes on in Poland on the 5th of July.

PGE does not take the closure of the Turów mine into account

“We do not take the possibility of closing the Turów mine into account, we believe that there will be funds for a just transition of the Bełchatów and Turów complexes,” emphasized Paweł Śliwa, vice-president of Polska Grupa Energetyczna in an interview with the Rzeczpospolita daily.

When asked about the ongoing Polish-Czech talks about the future of the Turów mine, whether such a large open pit does not harm the environment, the vice-president of Polska Grupa Energetyczna stated that it does not cause damage in the sense of mining law and environmental protection law. He admitted that the mine has an impact on the Polish, Czech and German lands, which results from its location in Worek Turoszowski, i.e. directly at the border with these countries. “It is one of the smallest mining complexes in the Zittau region, and both Czechs and Germans have their mines there,” Śliwa emphasized.

PIE: The construction of nuclear power units in Poland to cost about PLN 105 billion

The estimated cost of building nuclear power units in Poland by 2040 will amount to approx. PLN 105 billion – according to the information from the Polish Economic Institute. The analysts emphasize that the final amount depends largely on the choice of the partner in the construction of the power plant.

PIE points out that, according to the Polish Energy Policy 2040 (PEP2040) and the Polish Nuclear Energy Program, nuclear energy is to be an important element of the Polish energy transformation. By 2043, the plans provide for the construction of six units with a total capacity of 6 GW to 9 GW, four of which with a total capacity of at least 3.9 GW are to be commissioned before 2040. This will be approx. 16 percent of net electricity production in 2040.

Analysts cite preliminary estimates, which show that the cost of building nuclear units by 2040 will amount to approx. PLN 105 billion, out of nearly PLN 350 billion allocated in PEP2040 for new generation capacities. “However, the final costs depend to a large extent on the choice of a partner in the construction of the power plant,” PIE says in its latest weekly. Currently, companies from South Korea, France and the USA are considered among technology bidders. The final selection of the technology provider is to take place at the turn of 2021 and 2022, and the construction of the first unit is to start in 2026.