Poland's energy ministry, PEJ and PGE sign second nuclear plant preparation deal

Energy minister Miłosz Motyka announced the agreement in a 13 October social media post. “This is an investment in our security, sovereignty and economic development,” he said. Motyka added that stable domestic energy sources would strengthen Poland's resilience to crises and reduce dependence on external suppliers.

Who does what

Under the agreement, PEJ, which is also responsible for the first nuclear project on Poland's northern Baltic coast, will act as investor and coordinate the second project. PGE, the country's largest power producer, will prepare preliminary feasibility studies and analyse potential locations with technology suppliers.

Sites and partner

Notes from Poland reported that the preferred locations are Bełchatów, home to Europe's largest coal-fired power station and owned by PGE, and Konin. Both are in central Poland and were chosen for existing energy infrastructure and experience in electricity generation. Potential candidates for an international partner include US company Westinghouse, which is involved in the first plant, France's EDF and Canada's AtkinsRéalis. A decision is not expected until next year.

The second plant was initially envisaged as a joint project with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power under a 2022 letter of intent signed by the previous government. The partnership was never formalised and fell through last year.

Timetable and capacity

The nuclear strategy, updated in September for the first time since 2020, schedules construction of the second plant for 2032, with its first reactor potentially entering service in 2040. That is one year behind the previous plan. The first plant is now due to begin construction in 2028 and operate in 2036, three years later than previously planned.

Notes from Poland reported that together the two plants are expected to reach up to 9 GW. The 2020 version of the programme described two plants with a combined 6 to 9 GW, with PEJ as investor and operator. No capacity figure for the second plant has been stated. Coal still generates around half of Poland's electricity, by far the highest share in the European Union. Under a national energy and climate plan approved in June, Poland aims for coal to account for 0-5% of its energy mix by 2040, with 15-16% from nuclear.

What happens next

The updated programme targets selection of a technology supplier and strategic partner in 2027, according to ad-hoc-news. Once a partner is selected, it will work with PGE to analyse potential sites, Notes from Poland reported.