Westinghouse Electric Company and Bechtel have announced the signing of a formal agreement to partner on the design and construction of Poland’s first nuclear power plant at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in Pomerania. This agreement marks another important milestone on the journey to commercial operation for Poland’s first AP1000® nuclear reactor in 2033.
The consortium and Polish utility Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe are expected to sign an engineering services contract next week.
The Polish government selected the Westinghouse AP1000® reactor technology for its first-ever nuclear energy program in November 2022. Significant licensing and engineering work is already underway on the project that will deliver reliable, clean, and safe power to Poland.
The AP1000 is the only operating Generation III+ reactor with fully passive safety systems, modular construction design, and the smallest footprint per MWe on the market. In the U.S., at the Vogtle site in Georgia, one AP1000 unit is producing power for the grid while a second unit recently completed its initial fuel load with commercial operations likely later this year or early 2024. Four AP1000 reactors are currently setting operational performance and availability records in China with six additional reactors under construction there. Earlier this year, Bulgaria selected the AP1000 technology for its new reactor program and the technology is under consideration at multiple other sites in Central and Eastern Europe, the United Kingdom, and North America.