At the request of the US side, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki spoke by telephone with US Vice President Kamala Harris. The main topic of conversation was the problems in the global energy sector, which has a direct impact on the economies of many countries.
“It is becoming necessary to look for new sources of energy and to develop, among others, nuclear energy in countries such as Poland” stressed Prime Minister Morawiecki and added that the government is analysing in detail the possibilities in this regard, both in terms of the construction of a large nuclear power plant and the development of so-called small modular reactors. The US Vice President indicated her readiness to share US experience in this area.
Prime Minister Morawiecki and Vice President Harris agreed that recent months have been a time for further strengthening the Polish-American strategic partnership. “This is evidenced by President Joe Biden’s decision to establish a permanent military presence in Poland”, reports the Prime Minister’s Office.
The White House issued a statement on Sunday following a telephone conversation between Vice President Harris and Prime Minister Morawiecki. The Vice President acknowledged Poland’s generous assistance to Ukrainian refugees and emphasised America’s strong ties with Poland.
“The Vice President also discussed opportunities to strengthen bilateral cooperation on civilian nuclear energy production in Poland, which would enhance Europe’s energy security, support global climate solutions and create thousands of clean energy jobs in both Poland and the United States”, stated the White House.
According to the Polish Nuclear Power Programme, Poland is planning to build modern, but proven and large PWR reactors. Poland’s Energy Policy until 2040 assumes that the first unit of a Polish nuclear power plant with a capacity of about 1-1.6 GW will be commissioned in 2033. Subsequent units will be implemented every two to three years, and the entire nuclear programme provides for the construction of six units with a capacity of up to 9 GW.
Arkadiusz Słomczyński