Where will a nuclear power plant be built in Poland? The site is indicated – Biznes Wprost

On December 22, Poland’s preferred location for a nuclear power plant was finally announced. It took nearly 12 years to make this clear, and the company responsible for it can finally declare a success: a potential site has been selected. However, those who want to open the champagne a little should be restrained: this is just the beginning of a certain path, and appropriate management decisions will still be required.

“The coastal municipality of Choczewo has been selected as a preferred site for the construction of Poland’s first nuclear power plant. The site named “Lubiatowo-Kopalino” was indicated on the basis of a highly detailed environmental and site research conducted since 2017, which is unprecedented in Poland, which has shown that it meets All environmental requirements for such facilities and that it is safe for residents.Pollskie Elektrownie Nuclear (NPPs), a company responsible for overseeing the implementation of Poland’s nuclear program and an investor at the same time, said:

– We are working as planned and site selection confirms this. Poland needs nuclear energy, and the construction of the first such power plant in Poland is important for the whole country, both in terms of energy conversion and security of energy supply, said Anna Muskoa, Head of the Ministry of Climate and Environment, quoted in the PEJ edition.

Nuclear power plant in northern Poland

In this case, there were no surprises, because from the very beginning (or indeed from the appearance of the list of potential power plant sites in the Polish nuclear power program for 2020, PPEJ for short), it was indicated that the first nuclear units will be built in the north of the country. “Lubiatowo-Kopalino” (Municipality of Choczewo) and “Żarnowiec” (communities of Krokowa and Gniewino) are mentioned as recommended places, although Pątnów and Bełchatów are also mentioned among them (these are places where power plants operate).

However, few people believed that at the first stage of the implementation of the nuclear program on the Vistula River, not sites in Pomerania would be selected, but those where gyms were still in operation. Anyway, since the predecessor of PPEJ 2020, the PPEJ 2014 programme, nothing has changed in this regard. 27 potential sites were identified in 2010, and as of 2014 favorites have been recognized.

– Experts from different fields participated in the research and processing of their findings and today, when we know these results, with satisfaction but also with full responsibility and awareness for a new chapter in collaboration with the local community, we announce the “Lubiatowo -Kopalino” site of our choice – announced by PEJ President Tomasz Stępień, summarizing the work Until now.

What is the next step for the nuclear power plant in Poland? We still have to wait for the environmental report

It was hard to expect it to fall on other sites for another reason. Polish nuclear power plants (successor to PGE EJ1, the company changed its name after the purchase of EJ1 by the state treasury) since 2017 conducts siting and environmental studies for “Lubiatów-Kopalina” and “Żarnowiec”, as part of which the impact of the nuclear power plant has been verified on the environment. As PEJ informed us on December 17 this year:

“The results of the analyzes in the field of environmental impact assessment of the nuclear power plant formed the basis for the preparation of the Environmental Impact Report (Environmental Impact Assessment Report).”

On December 22, the PEJ reported that the EIA report has been completed, which means moving to the next stage of the schedule: it will go to the General Directorate of Environmental Protection. This will lead to further events, because after approval of the report, GDOŚ will begin the procedure for issuing a decision on environmental conditions.

The results of the analyzes were included in the Investment Environmental Impact Report. The document prepared by Polish Nuclear Power Plants is the first study of this kind in Poland prepared for a nuclear power plant. In the work on it, the investor was supported by a specialized team of one of the most experienced companies in the world in the nuclear sector – Jacobs Clean Energy Limited – acting as a technical advisor, as well as by Polish research centers and a wide range of specialists with reporting experience Environmental investments for large infrastructure. Substantive work on the report has already been completed,” PEJ said.

The report will be handed over to GDOŚ later, because, as the PEJ justifies: “The currently changing legislative environment must be reflected in the prepared document. The regulations on the basis of which the procedure for issuing an environmental decision for a power plant began in 2015 have been changed several times, including the approved implementing regulations. At the European level. The update of the legal status by the legislator will enable the continuation of the environmental action in accordance with the rules of procedure currently in force. Therefore, the report will be finalized and submitted to the Director-General of Environmental Protection in the first quarter of next year, after the revised regulations come into force ” .

The green light for those interested in the Polish nuclear power plant. There are three companies in the game

The choice of the site preferred by Poland is also a signal for all those interested in building a nuclear power plant. The American Westinghouse offers the AP1000 reactor, the Korean KHNP reactor – the APR 1400 reactor, and the French EDF – EPR reactor.

Each company has a different situation in relations with Poland, but also has a different strategy. The French from the EDF have recently received significant political support, because France is building a bloc of pro-nuclear EU countries around itself and wants to export its nuclear technology as effectively as possible (the topic of nuclear energy has been discussed several times in recent weeks, including during the Moraviki and Macron talks ). EDF submitted a bid to build a nuclear power plant on October 13, was the first to do so and before the preferred site was declared. EDF wants to build 4-6 nuclear units, the investment cost will range from 150 to 220 billion PLN, 50 percent of which will be the costs will be covered by France.

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The Koreans from KHNP are due to bid in the first quarter of 2022 or “a little earlier”, but they have clearly expressed their intentions – they want to fight for a contract from Warsaw to build a power plant.

The American Westinghouse had the best cards on hand to some extent, because Poland signed an agreement with the USA to cooperate in the development of the Polish nuclear energy program. But at that time, the president of the United States changed, and relations with the Americans deteriorated slightly, for example. Thanks to “Lex TVN”. Despite this situation, Westinghouse announces that it will submit the bid by mid-2022.

– We are working on FEED, together with Bechtel, where we will show how we see the construction of a nuclear power plant in Poland. We are focused on the mission, we have until June 2022 – said Wprost in October, Westinghouse Polska President, Mirosław Kowalik.

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