Jacek Sasin, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of State Assets announced that KGHM Polska Miedź and the American NuScale Power will sign an agreement on the development and construction of several nuclear reactors (SMR) with an installed capacity of approximately 1 GW. It is presumably the largest investment of this type in the world.

Sasin is starting his visit to the USA on Monday. Due to some limitations, he cannot talk about details yet, but it is no secret that small nuclear reactors will be one of the topics. During the talks, Polish and American partners will also discuss other issues related to economic cooperation.

The program of visits includes meetings with the US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm and the Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund Kristalina Georgieva.

KGHM and NuScale Power have already signed a commitment to developing SMR technology in Poland. The energy would be supplied to the production plants of the copper company. It is planned to develop and build four small modular SMR nuclear reactors with an installed capacity of approximately 1 GW, with the possibility of expansion. It is potentially the largest investment of this type in the world. NuScale Power is the American leader among manufacturers of reactors in SMR technology and currently, it is dealing with the process of developing a modular nuclear power plant with a light water reactor. In Sasin’s opinion, Polish-American investments may start at the turn of 2029/2030. They are primarily intended to provide a stable source of energy for copper mining, but they can be used for commercial energy production and support Poland’s green transformation.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński