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Poland plans to build six nuclear reactors: PM

31.10.2022 07:30
The Polish prime minister has said that his country plans to build three nuclear power plants, with a total of six reactors, as part of its nuclear power programme.
Mateusz Morawiecki.
Mateusz Morawiecki.PAP/Maciej Kulczyński

Mateusz Morawiecki made the declaration in a media interview on Sunday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.

He told state broadcaster TVP Info that his government was investing in nuclear energy to ensure Poland’s energy security. 

Morawiecki said: “Nuclear power plants will help make us independent from the whims of the market, energy traders and the weather.”

'Six reactors in three nuclear power plants'

He added that the government was planning to build “six reactors in three nuclear power plants.”

Moreover, companies such as state copper giant KGHM seek to build what are known as small modular reactors (SMRs) in Poland, the prime minister noted.

Morawiecki stated that investment in nuclear energy "does not mean Poland will not be developing renewable sources of energy." 

“However, we need stable energy, which today is ensured by coal,” he told TVP Info. 

Morawiecki added that nuclear power technology was “much-needed for Poland” as well as “super-safe” for local communities.

He said: “For instance, the American nuclear station is so designed that in case of any emergency, the reactors move underground and there is no risk of a radioactive leak.”

US to help build Poland's first power plant 

Morawiecki on Friday confirmed that Poland would team up with the United States and American company Westinghouse to build its first nuclear power plant. 

Morawiecki said in a Twitter post: “A strong Polish-American alliance guarantees the success of our joint initiatives. After talks with US Vice President Kamala Harris and US Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, we confirm [that] our nuclear energy project will use the reliable, safe technology of Westinghouse Electric Company.”

‘We plan to build several nuclear stations in Poland’: gov't spokesman

Polish government spokesman Piotr Müller said in a media interview over the weekend that “Poland will build its first nuclear power plant in cooperation with the American nuclear company Westinghouse.”

Müller said: “In strategic projects, the credibility of partners is of enormous importance. The Polish-American alliance in the field of security is exceptionally important. We are pleased that it will now also include a joint project to build a nuclear power plant.”  

He added, however, that “the topic of cooperation with other countries is not closed because we plan to build several nuclear stations in Poland,” the PAP news agency reported.

Morawiecki said on Sunday that a Polish delegation led by Deputy Prime Minister Jacek Sasin was in the South Korean capital Seoul "for talks on the construction of a nuclear power plant in Poland."  

In mid-September, the US government and the Westinghouse nuclear power company offered to build six large-scale reactors based on American technology in Poland, according to reports at the time, in addition to proposing cooperation on civil nuclear energy.

Poland has also received offers for the construction of nuclear power plants from France’s EDF and South Korea’s KHNP, the PAP news agency has reported. 

Poland's Climate and Environment Minister Anna Moskwa said earlier this month that 2026 was "a realistic date for launching the construction of the first nuclear reactor” in Poland.

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Source: PAP, niezalezna.pl