Poland's updated nuclear programme moves its first unit to 2036, three years later than planned
Victoria Shinder1 min readPoland's Council of Ministers has adopted an update to the country's nuclear power programme, World Nuclear News reported on 5 October. The headline change is the schedule.
The first plant. Westinghouse AP1000 units totalling 3,750 MWe in Pomerania, at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in Choczewo municipality. Under the updated programme the first unit is to start commercial operation in 2036 and the plant to reach full capacity by 2038, three years later than previously planned. The 2021 schedule had envisaged construction starting in 2026 and the first reactor commissioned in 2033. Preparatory work and supporting infrastructure are under way, and PLN60.2 billion (about USD15.4 billion) is allocated for the project's recapitalisation between 2025 and 2030, with financing planned as a mix of equity and debt backed by domestic and international institutions.
The second plant. Bełchatów and Konin remain the preferred locations, with the investor to make the final choice. A competitive dialogue to select a technology supplier and contractor is under way, joined by the United States, France and Canada. The milestones: a strategic partner and technology chosen in 2027, construction starting around 2032, and the first unit around 2040, one year behind the previous schedule.
What else changes. The programme still covers two plants with a total capacity of up to 9 GWe. The Ministry of Energy says the update raises funding for skills, for Polish industry's participation and for the National Atomic Energy Agency, the regulator, whose support is the programme's largest financial component. It estimates Polish companies could supply about 40% of the value of the first reactor's construction, rising to about 70% for later units.
The ministry cites the energy crisis, Russia's war against Ukraine and industry's demand for predictable low-emission power as reasons for the revision.