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Signing marks new stage of ambitious nuclear power project Courtesy Lukas Plewnia/Wikipedia. Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ), developer of Poland’s first commercial nuclear power project, has signed a key cooperation agreement with US company Westinghouse, whose AP1000 technology was selected for the country’s first reactors.

PEJ president Tomasz Stępień said the agreement means “we can move to more detailed works and commercial arrangements with the US party”. He said it is also the first step towards the commencement of design of the construction.

The agreement defines the main principles and business steps that will be taken by PEJ and Westinghouse in 2023. It includes tasks such as negotiating and signing agreements for preparatory and conceptual works, including initial design works, licensing and permitting support, site development services and procurement and construction planning services.

The next step in the project will be the signing in 2023 of an agreement between the companies for the design of the nuclear power station.

The agreement was signed by Stępień and Westinghouse president David Durham in the presence of Poland’s climate and environment minister Anna Moskwa. The signing ceremony was attended by Poland’s plenipotentiary for strategic energy infrastructure Mateusz Berger and US ambassador to Poland Mark Brzeziński.

“Signing the agreement today opens a new stage of the execution of the Polish nuclear power programme and contributes to the development of our close partnership with the US,” Moskwa said.

Nuclear Will Bring ‘Tangible Benefits’

“It also delivers an important message for the national industry, allowing it to grow and develop during the construction and operation of the nuclear power plant.”

Moskwa said the execution of the programme to build new nuclear power generation capacity will result in “tangible benefits for the economy and predictable energy prices for users, which is especially important for energy-intensive enterprises affected by the current crisis and high cost of energy”.

In November, Poland chose Westinghouse for the construction of three AP1000 pressurised water reactor units at Lubiatowo-Kopalino in the northern province of Pomerania.

The first unit is scheduled to be online in 2033 as set in Warsaw’s 2020 nuclear energy programme while the start of construction is earmarked for 2026.

Poland’s prime minister Mateusz Morawiecki has said that for Poland to further develop economically, it needs to have cheap, clean, and stable electricity, and “nuclear power is a natural choice in this situation”.

Date: Friday, 16 December 2022
Original article: nucnet.org/news/agreement-with-westinghouse-means-detailed-work-can-begin-12-4-2022