Poland’s incoming administration is seeking foreign companies to buy an equity stake in the country’s nuclear energy program. Grzegorz Onichimowski, the chief energy adviser to the Civic Platform party, believes that the US partners, Westinghouse Electric Co. and Bechtel Group Inc., should take at least a 30% stake in the project. The current plan, inked by the outgoing cabinet, did not include any capital injections by the companies. Nuclear energy is essential for Poland’s energy transition and strengthening ties with the US.
The Polish government chose Westinghouse and Bechtel to design and construct the country’s first atomic-power reactors to boost its energy security, transition away from coal, and strengthen ties with the US. Civic Platform leader Donald Tusk, tipped to be the next prime minister after his opposition bloc won last month’s election, has expressed interest in working with the US on the project.
Poland’s outgoing administration planned to build 6-9 gigawatts in nuclear power by the 2040s, including three AP1000 reactors from Westinghouse. The program’s financing hasn’t been agreed, with the price tag for the first plant seen at at least $20 billion. However, Onichimowski suggests that Poland may not need as much nuclear capacity and could build two power plants, one with the Americans and the other with another partner.
Electricite de France SA and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co Ltd have long been interested in nuclear projects in Poland, with the Asian company already in talks on a separate deal with a private Polish partner. The incoming coalition sees nuclear energy as part of its ambitious plan to phase out coal, with zero-emission power sources expected to account for 68% of electricity generation by the end of the decade.
