Polish and American authorities signed an agreement on Wednesday to build Poland’s first nuclear power plant, as part of Warsaw’s effort to move away from polluting fossil fuels.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki considered the agreement to build the plant in Lubiatowo-Kopalino, in the Pomerania region, near the Baltic Sea, as the beginning of a new chapter for Poland, and described nuclear energy as a source of stable and clean energy.
“The only source of clean, stable, technologically tested and verified energy in terms of safety is nuclear energy, which today has its big day,” he stated at the signing of the agreement.
Last year, the Morawiecki government announced that it had chosen the United States as a partner for the project.
A consortium formed by Westinghouse and Bechtel signed the agreement with the Polish public company that oversees the nuclear program, Polskie Elektrownie Jadrowe (PEJ).
The planned site is about 280 kilometers from the border with Germany, which closed its last nuclear reactors in April.
Last year, the four German states closest to Poland said they opposed the Polish plan.
In Poland, opposition to the nuclear program is not very high. Although some environmentalists oppose it, even the Green Party is divided on the issue.
This is a reflection of how the ravages of climate change have persuaded some environmentalists around the world to embrace nuclear energy as a solution because it does not involve the burning of fossil fuels.
Poland plans to spend $40 billion (€38 billion) to build two nuclear power plants with three reactors each, the last one to be inaugurated in 2043.
The agreement with the United States is valid for the first three reactors at the Pomeranian plant, which, according to authorities, should begin producing electricity in 2033.
Poland has for decades been studying building a nuclear power plant to replace its aging coal-fired units in one of the most atmospherically polluted European countries.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its use of energy to put economic and political pressure on European nations has increased the urgency of Poland’s search for alternative energy sources.
Source: TSF
