Project will Advance Poland’s Clean Energy Goals and Provide Energy Security
Warsaw, Poland – Sept. 21, 2023 – Westinghouse Electric Company and Bechtel today 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.
“American-Polish cooperation on development and deployment of advanced nuclear technologies continues to grow. This agreement between Bechtel and Westinghouse, two global leaders in nuclear energy, is the next step in our cooperation. The United States is proud to be Poland’s closest partner for the clean energy transition,” said Mark Brzezinski, the U.S. Ambassador to Poland.
At the consortium agreement signing ceremony at the U.S. Embassy in Warsaw, from left: U.S. Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski, Ahmet Tokpinar, general manager of Bechtel’s nuclear power business line, Elias Gedeon, Senior Vice President for Commercial Operations at Westinghouse, Miroslaw Kowalik, President, Westinghouse Poland, and Anna Łukaszewska-Trzeciakowska, Poland Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure.
“The agreement is another important milestone in our cooperation with Poland. I am extremely confident that these two partners, Westinghouse and Bechtel will bring the high caliber of nuclear energy technology to the Polish people,” said Dr. Kathryn Huff, Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy at the U.S. Department of Energy.
“This is a team with demonstrated ability to deliver on large nuclear energy projects,” said David Durham, President for Energy Systems, Westinghouse. “The fleet experience we have earned with our advanced, proven AP1000 technology, including a 100% complete design and construction lessons-learned, will serve Poland well as it seeks decarbonization and increased energy security."
“Bechtel and Westinghouse bring more than 140 years of combined nuclear power experience,” said John Howanitz, President of Bechtel’s Nuclear, Security & Environmental global business unit. “Together we have both the proven technology and the hands-on experience required to build Poland’s first-ever nuclear energy program. We are eager to partner with the local workforce, suppliers, and community, to deliver the clean and reliable energy Poland needs.”
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 in North America.
