The document was approved by Poland’s Climate and Environment Minister Anna Moskwa and US Assistant Secretary of Energy Kathryn Huff in Warsaw on Thursday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Moskwa told reporters that the new Clean Energy Training Centre (CETC) would train staff for Poland’s first nuclear plant, which is expected to employ some 40,000 people.
“It’s an important milestone for the development of nuclear energy in Poland,” she added.
The Polish climate and environment minister said that the CETC would train future nuclear-energy specialists from all over Europe.
The first training courses are set to start in November, covering topics such as big-project management, nuclear fuel and cybersecurity, according to officials.
Moskwa voiced hope that, thanks to cooperation with the United States, Poland would become a “nuclear superpower,” the PAP news agency reported.
America's Huff said that the CETC would be the first such facility in this region of Europe and part of the US-Poland strategic partnership.
Huff, who heads the US Office of Nuclear Energy, said the CETC would train specialists and build the potential necessary to ensure that “the future of both our nations lies with clean and safe energy,” according to the Polish government.
The US ambassador to Poland, Mark Brzezinski, said his country was proud to be able to be Poland’s closest partner in the process of transition to clean energy, according to officials.
Poland’s first nuclear power plant to be ready by 2033
In May, the Polish government and PEJ signed a “milestone” agreement with US nuclear companies Westinghouse and Bechtel on the design and construction of Poland’s first planned nuclear power plant.
Poland’s first nuclear station is set to be built in the northern villages of Lubiatowo and Kopalino using Westinghouse's AP1000 reactor technology, officials said.
Construction is set to start in 2026, with the first of three reactors slated to be ready in 2033, according to the Polish government.
In April, Poland’s state-run energy giant PGE and the biggest private energy firm ZE PAK created a joint-venture company that will team up with South Korea’s KHNP to build a nuclear plant in western Poland.
In all, Poland’s nuclear energy policy foresees the creation of six nuclear reactors with a combined installed capacity of 6-9 GW, the PAP news agency reported.
Meanwhile 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.
(pm/gs)
Source: IAR, PAP, gov.pl
Click on the audio player above for a report by Radio Poland's Michał Owczarek.
