Polish and North American authorities signed an agreement this Wednesday to build Poland’s first nuclear power plant, as part of Warsaw’s efforts to move away from polluting fossil fuels.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki viewed the agreement to build the plant at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino facility in the Pomeranian region, close to the Baltic Sea, as the beginning of a new chapter for Poland, describing nuclear energy as a stable and clean energy source .
“The only clean, stable, technologically proven and safety-verified energy source is nuclear energy, which is having its big day today”said during the agreement signing ceremony.
Last year, Morawiecki’s 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 government company that oversees the nuclear program, Polskie Elektrownie Jadrowe (PEJ).
The planned location 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.
Opposition to the nuclear program is not strong in Poland. While some environmentalists are opposed, even the Green Party is divided on the issue.
This is a reflection of how the ravages of climate change have convinced some environmentalists around the world to embrace nuclear energy as a solution because it does not require burning fossil fuels.
Poland plans to spend $40 billion (€38 billion) on building two nuclear power plants with three reactors each, the last of which is due to be launched in 2043.
The agreement with the United States applies to the first three reactors of the Pomerania plant, which according to authorities should start producing electricity in 2033.
Poland has been investigating the construction of a nuclear power plant to replace its old coal-fired power stations in one of the most atmospherically polluted European countries for decades.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and its use of energy to exert economic and political pressure on European countries has increased the urgency of Poland’s search for alternative energy sources.
Source: DN
