During the Three Seas Initiative summit in Bucharest on September 7, John Kerry, the U.S. President's Special Envoy for Climate, highlighted the commitment from the American "Phoenix" project.
Designed to support the development of SMRs in Central Europe, the "Phoenix" initiative particularly emphasizes projects that transition from conventional energy sources.
The Phoenix initiative is a U.S. government endeavor targeting the shift from fossil fuels to SMRs in Europe. It allows direct U.S. government financial backing for SMR technology feasibility studies, enhancing energy security goals in Central and Eastern Europe.
Countries slated to receive funding under this initiative include Poland, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia. The technology in focus, BWRX-300, is developed by GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy and is being introduced in Poland by Orlen Synthos Green Energy (OSGE). The exact funding amount remains undisclosed, but the "Phoenix" program will finance feasibility studies for the projects.
"We will financially back these studies because we aim to aid the energy transformation from coal to SMRs. We take nuclear energy's role in this shift very seriously. Achieving zero emissions without it is impossible. This is a major challenge humanity faces," Kerry commented in Bucharest.
Rafał Kasprów, CEO of Orlen Synthos Green Energy (OSGE), lauded the integration with the Phoenix project, stating, "Poland's energy transition should rely on American nuclear technologies, especially the proven BWRX-300 tech from GE Hitachi. The Phoenix project will significantly speed up our efforts."
OSGE shared that initial U.S. support would likely be channeled into a nuclear power plant project in Ostrołęka. The company reminded that in April, the American EXIM Bank and International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) expressed a potential backing of up to 4 billion USD for the construction of the first BWRX-300 reactors in Poland.
Earlier this year, OSGE announced a two-year investigation into constructing small nuclear units near seven towns around Poland, including Ostrołęka and Warsaw. These locations are chosen due to their proximity to high-energy-consuming production plants. Also in April, OSGE submitted requests for foundational decisions for six nuclear power plants with GEH BWRX-300 reactors.
In July, the Polish government approved a plan by state mining company KGHM to build a nuclear power plant based on small modular reactor (SMR) technology.
The BWRX-300 is a water-cooled, natural circulation SMR with a 300 MWe capacity. Its estimated cost for producing 1 MWh of electricity is projected to be much lower than gas-derived energy. One unit can serve approximately 300,000 to 350,000 households.
(rt/pm)
Source: wgospodarce.pl