Mr Guibourgé-Czetwertyński also said the government is working on new legislation for enabling and streamlining investment in the country’s ambitious nuclear programme. The nuclear investment legislation is being finalised and should be ready in the first quarter of 2022 for approval by the council of ministers.
In July, press reports said the new legislation could speed up the country’s first commercial nuclear project by 18 months.
Poland is planning to choose a supplier of nuclear plant technology next year, with the supplier becoming a partner with a stake of up to 49% in the country’s nuclear project company PGE. Mr Guibourgé-Czetwertyński said this “shared risk” was crucial and because of the complexity of investment any partnership will be a long-term one.
"For Poland, as a country implementing nuclear energy, financing is currently one of the most important issues,” he said. “The decision regarding the development of nuclear energy in Poland brings with it many challenges, and the most demanding is the choice of the financing model for such an investment.
“It affects not only the investment decision and the construction process, but also the future prices of electricity produced in such a nuclear power plant. This is a challenge that we have to face.”
During the webinar, Mr Guibourgé-Czetwertyński was asked how Poland’s nuclear plans would be affected if nuclear energy is excluded from the EU’s sustainable finance taxonomy, which will govern investment in activities that the EU says are environmentally friendly. He said there is “no factual or scientific basis” for excluding nuclear. “I don’t think political sensitivities should stop us making decisions,” he said. “Investment from private companies would be more problematic if nuclear is excluded. It would put into question our ability as a continent to be climate neutral by 2050.”
Poland wants to build from 6,000 to 9,000 MW of installed nuclear capacity. Commercial operation of a first nuclear reactor unit in a proposed set of six is planned for 2033.