Poland signs Engineering Development Agreement on first nuclear plant
An Engineering Development Agreement (EDA) for the construction of the first nuclear power plant has been signed between Polish Nuclear Power Plants (PEJ) and Westinghouse-Bechtel consortium, the US contractor.
The agreement was signed on Monday following a meeting between Poland's Prime Minister Donald Tusk and US Secretary of Energy Chris Wright.
"This initial investment has been secured through a new and improved agreement," Tusk said after the meeting. "Poland is working to ensure that this agreement better serves Polish interests. Thanks to modifications across 16 areas, this investment is becoming more secure, and the guarantees provide us with a sense of safety for this investment," he added.
The EDA establishes the framework for ongoing cooperation between PEJ and the consortium after the expiration of the current Engineering Service Contract. It ensures that the design work will proceed as scheduled and includes tasks such as securing administrative decisions, licences, permits and conducting further geological studies at the project site.
"I believe that this (the construction of a nuclear power plant - PAP) will also mark the beginning of many years of collaboration in this area between Poland and the United States, and we will build more such nuclear reactors, both in Poland and in other countries across Europe, as we possess the appropriate skills, which Polish workers will gain through cooperation with American partners," Wright said.
PEJ, a fully state-owned company, is the investor and future operator of Poland's first nuclear power plant, which will use Westinghouse AP1000 technology at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in northern Poland. The current timeline anticipates that the initial concrete for the reactor will be poured in 2028, with commercial operations expected to commence in 2036. (PAP)
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