Tusk, a former prime minister and European Council president, made the declaration in the southwestern city of Wrocław on Monday, Polish state news agency PAP reported.
Tusk, the leader of the liberal Civic Coalition (KO) bloc, and the candidate of mainstream opposition parties for the country's next prime minister, said that Poland’s energy security required “immediate decisions when it comes to nuclear energy.”
He stated: “Nuclear power plants are indispensable.”
He added that in order to “really participate in safe and just transition” and spend up to “hundreds of billions of euros in EU funding on modernising our economy, our industry and our energy,” Poland “must launch the construction of a nuclear station as soon as possible.”
Tusk, who was prime minister from 2007 and 2014, noted that Poland’s first nuclear power plant would be built using American technology.
He stressed that Poland must “forge common economic interests with the United States,” amid “geopolitical uncertainty” and the war in neighbouring Ukraine, the PAP news agency reported.
On September 27, Polish utility Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) signed a contract with US firms Westinghouse Electric Company and Bechtel for the design of Poland's first nuclear power plant, which is due for launch in 2033.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki and the US ambassador to Poland, Mark Brzezinski, attended the signing ceremony.
Poland’s first nuclear power plant to be ready in 2033
In May, the Polish government and PEJ said they signed a “milestone” agreement with 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 on the Baltic coast, using Westinghouse's AP1000 reactor technology, officials said at the time.
On October 26, the authorities in the northern Pomorskie province approved the siting of the facility, the PAP news agency reported.
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.
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.
Poland set to appoint new gov't
Poland’s ruling conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party won the parliamentary election on October 15 , but lost its parliamentary majority to an alliance of four pro-EU opposition parties, led by Tusk’s Civic Coalition.
On Monday night, President Andrzej Duda announced that the task of forming a new government would be given to the current conservative Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
As all other parties have ruled out entering into a coalition government with Law and Justice, the current ruling party, in power since 2015, looks unlikely to be able to govern.
If Morawiecki is unable to win a vote of confidence in the Sejm, the lower house of parliament, the chamber will appoint another prime minister.
This will likely be Tusk, who has been named by the four opposition parties as their choice for head of government.
(pm/gs)
Source: PAP, gazetaprawna.pl