KGHM Polska Miedź has signed an agreement to commence work on the implementation of advanced small modular reactors (SMR) in Poland. The historic agreement was signed in Washington on February 14, 2022, in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Jack Sasin and a representative of the American administration.
The concluded agreement assumes, that KGHM and NuScale will implement the SMR technology in Poland. The first power plant will be operational by 2029 that will allow Poland to avoid up to 8 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually. Clean energy will power the production divisions of the copper company. The project is modular, which means potential trouble-free scaling-up.
The construction of small nuclear reactors by 2029 is directly related to the Climate Policy of KGHM Polska Miedź and the new strategic direction of the Company.
Marcin Chludziński, the president of KGHM Polska Miedź admits that KGHM is proud to initiate the project to produce 100% carbon dioxide-free energy, fulfilling its commitment to decarbonization. The SMR technology will increase the company’s cost efficiency and transform the Polish energy sector.
The signed trade agreement is an important milestone towards the commercialization and development of clean, reliable and affordable energy.
John Hopkins, NuScale Power president and CEO said that in the global race to rapidly reduce emissions worldwide, NuScale technology is the perfect solution to meet this climate goal while ensuring economic prosperity. “NuScale is proud to work with KGHM, an experienced innovation leader, and we are delighted to be able to work together on the next era of advanced clean energy implementation and tackle the climate crisis”, added Hopkins.
NuScale Power’s modular light water reactor nuclear power plant technology provides energy for electricity generation, district heating, desalination, hydrogen production and other process heat applications. It is a breakthrough solution, the only one of the technologies of small modular reactors, approved by the US Nuclear Regulation Commission. KGHM, a leader in the production of copper and silver, will be the first to implement SMR in Poland.
Adrian Andrzejewski