Poland’s state-owned nuclear power company and a consortium led by Bechtel and Westinghouse have agreed on the main commercial terms of a deal to build that country’s first nuclear power plant.
The groups on September 23 said the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract, which still must be signed, stipulates that the power station will use three Westinghouse AP1000 Generation III+ pressurized water reactors, with a total 3,750 MW of generation capacity. Both Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ), a special purpose vehicle 100% owned by Poland’s state treasury, and the Bechtel-Westinghouse consortium said they are committed to finishing negotiations for the EPC deal by year-end. The companies noted that the agreement “brings together American reactor technology and an American engineering and construction team, working with Polish industry on one of Europe’s most important energy infrastructure projects.”
Westinghouse was first announced in 2022 as the reactor supplier for the Poland power station. Poland wants to build more carbon-free power generation capacity (including small modular reactors) to help reduce its reliance on coal-fired power.
“This agreement reflects the momentum we’ve built with PEJ, and it’s a vote of confidence in American nuclear technology and know-how,” said Dena Volovar, president of Bechtel’s Nuclear, Security & Environmental business. “Bechtel has designed, built, or supported 150 nuclear power plants over 80 years, and we recently completed the most modern AP1000 units in the United States [at the Plant Vogtle site in Georgia]. Using modern execution tools to drive efficient delivery, we’re bringing that experience to Poland, and we’re building local capability as we go. By the time this plant is running, Polish companies and Polish workers will be part of a nuclear industry that can compete for decades.”
Bechtel’s Experience
Bechtel is known as one of the world’s leading engineering, construction and project management companies. Bechtel since 1898 has supported more than 25,000 projects in 160 countries on all seven continents. The company has said the first nuclear concrete pour for the Polish plant is targeted for 2028.
“PEJ and the Westinghouse-Bechtel consortium have agreed on the main terms of the contract for the construction of the first Polish nuclear power plant, which provides the basis for further, detailed negotiations regarding the remaining terms of cooperation under the EPC Contract,” said Marek Woszczyk, president of Polskie Elektrownie Jadrowe. “The American Westinghouse-Bechtel consortium will be responsible for the construction of the facility, with the first electricity to the Polish grid from the power plant to flow in 2036.”
The companies on Wednesday said work “is moving forward” at the power plant site in the Lubiatowo-Kopalino location in Choczewo commune. PEJ released the project site to Bechtel in August of this year.
PEJ applied to Poland’s State Atomic Energy Agency for a construction permit in March of this year. A second stage of preparatory work is underway, which includes grading and leveling of the grounds, upgrading drainage systems, and constructing temporary roads to support future development, according to the groups. In-depth geological surveys are continuing.
Local Workforce
The project continues to award contracts to Polish companies for key site work; those groups include Budimex, Doraco, Unihouse, MSA Security, and Barg M.B Gdańsk. Officials on Wednesday said more contracts with Polish subcontractors are expected to be awarded soon.
Bechtel and Westinghouse said their recent experience in completing the two-unit expansion at the Vogtle site is a key element of the work that will be done in Poland. The companies said the second of the two new units at the Georgia plant was built “30% more efficiently than the first.”
Officials said the Polish project has included nearly 200 Polish nationals on the project team, with another 100 in the recruitment process. Construction of the new power station already has provided about $250 million contracts for Poland-based companies. Staff-development agreements are in place with three Polish universities.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.
