Poland has received an offer from the Americans to build a nuclear power plant. Anna Moskwa, Minister for Climate and Environment received a detailed report “The Conceptual and Implementation Report on Cooperation in the Field of Civil Nuclear Energy” on the subject, during a meeting with the US ambassador and president of Westinghouse Poland Miroslaw Kowalik.

The report was created over 18 months and its handover marks the closing of the first stage of the Polish-US agreement of October 2020.

The analysis concerned the adaptation of US nuclear technology to the expectations of the Polish Nuclear Power Programme and the Polish Nuclear Power Plants, as well as the costs of the entire project. The report was accepted by a bilateral committee that included the US Secretary of Energy and the Polish Deputy Minister of Climate and Environment.

The Americans wish to build six reactors in Poland. Construction of the first reactor would be realised between 2026 and 2033, with the last to be commissioned in 2043. Minister Anna Moskwa said that the government has one month to decide on the offer. The cost of building Poland’s first nuclear power plant is covered by secrecy for now.

According to a report by the Polish Economic Institute (PIE), nuclear power plants could meet as much as 38.4 % of Poland’s projected electricity demand in 2043, and the development of nuclear energy will be beneficial for the economy, potentially increasing Polish GDP by more than 1 % by 2043 and generating up to 40,000 jobs over 50 years.

“If the Polish nuclear programme is fully implemented, i.e. six reactoes are built, the project’s impact on economic growth could exceed 1% of GDP. We also estimate that between 26.4 thousand and 39.6 thousand jobs will be created as a result of the construction and operation of nuclear power plants in Poland”, says an analyst from PIE’s climate and energy team, Adam Juszczak.

Arkadiusz Słomczyński