Plans Submitted for Poland's Second Nuclear Power Plant

Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--A joint venture of leading Polish energy companies has submitted an application to build Poland's second planned nuclear power plant.

PGE PAK Energia Jądrowa, a 50:50 joint venture by the country's two largest utility companies Polska Grupa Energetyczna S.A. (PGE) and ZE PAK, was formed earlier this year to fast-track the country's ambitious nuclear programme. The application is to build a plant in the Patnów-Konin region of Wielkopolska province in central Poland using two or more APR1400 reactors from Korea's Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Company Limited (KHNP). It represents the first step before confirming the plant's location, feasibility studies, funding arrangements and construction. A decision is expected within the next three months. The goal is to have a 2.8-gigawatt (GW) plant commissioned by 2035, which will satisfy 12% of Poland's electricity demand.

"We are starting negotiations with our Korean partner regarding the feasibility study, agreements on financing our project and the creation of a Polish-Korean company that will directly lead this process," said Jakub Rybicki, president of PGE PAK Energia Jądrowa.

Last October, the relevant ministries in Poland and South Korea, alongside PGE and KHNP, signed a memorandum of understanding to support the nuclear energy project in Patnow and jointly prepare a plan for the use of Korea's APR1400 technology. Poland's Minister of State Assets and Deputy Prime Minister, Jacek Sasin, said: "We need sources of cheap and stable energy in Poland. Nuclear energy is essential in Polish conditions, especially in the current geopolitical situation. The initiative of ZE PAK and PGE is extremely interesting because it fulfills the strategic goals of Poland and Poles - cheap energy and energy independence. According to Poland's Energy Policy until 2040 adopted by the Polish government in 2021, Pątnów is one of the potential locations for a nuclear power plant in Poland. The construction of the nuclear power plant in Pątnów could be a support for Poland's nuclear energy program, which is crucial for us from a national perspective."

Poland is aiming to have 6 to 9 GW of nuclear power, starting with three reactors at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in northern Poland. The company will use three Generation III+ AP1000 reactors from Westinghouse Electric Company (Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania) with a combined output of 3,750 megawatts (MW), with the first reactor estimated to be commissioned in 2033. For additional information, see November 22, 2022, article - Poland's First Nuclear Plant Project Goes to Westinghouse.

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