Poland Reignites Nuclear Power Plan

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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Poland is determined to push ahead with plans for its first nuclear power plant as the country attempts to wean itself off almost total reliance on coal-fired power.

Energy Minister Krzysztof Tchorzewski confirmed the government's commitment after the original plan in 2009 was put on the back burner after the Fukushima nuclear accident in Tokyo in early 2010.

"We would like to build three [nuclear power] units in five-year intervals, with the first one in 2029," he told reporters. "Our initial estimates show that one unit will cost $7 billion." He added that while the government is building three new coal-fired units, that will be the end of investment. "After completing the investments that are now being conducted in big coal-fuelled units, we will not be planning new projects based on coal."

Last month Industrial Info reported that the government was looking to China to help finance the projects, signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with state-owned nuclear giant China General Nuclear Power Corporation (CGN) (Shenzhen). The first step is to build a 1,000-megawatt (MW) plant. For additional information, see August 11, 2017, article--Poland Seeks Chinese Aid for First Nuclear Plant.

Poland's state-owned Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE) (PW:PGE) (Warsaw, Poland) has long promoted plans to build a nuclear portfolio with an estimated capacity of about 6,000 MW.

Poland began construction of its first nuclear project in the mid-1980s in the northern town of Zarnowiec using four Russian VVER-440 pressurised water reactors. However, following the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, the Polish government put its nuclear ambitions on ice for more than two decades.

Poland relies on coal for more than 80% of its electricity, with the remainder coming from biofuels and to a lesser extent natural gas and renewables. The government would like to see coal's share in the power mix drop to 60% by 2030, but coal mining remains a key industry in the country. Poland is also under increasing pressure from the European Union (EU) to lower its emissions and introduce cleaner forms of power. For additional information, see September 1, 2014, article - Poland To Reduce Coal in Power Mix.

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