NEW BUILD | POLAND


Poland bets on nuclear to meet EU climate goals


Witold Strzelecki


Communications manager, FORATOM


Witold Strzelecki discusses why Poland is looking to nuclear energy to help decarbonise its power system


ALMOST 70% OF ELECTRICITY GENERATED in Poland comes from hard and lignite coal, according to the latest data provided by the Energy Market Agency. This figure means Poland has the greatest reliance on coal of any Member State of the European Union. In line with the EU’s recent political commitment to become climate neutral by 2050, the country will have to find a way to decarbonise its power system while at the same time ensuring security of energy supply and keeping the costs of the transition to a minimum. Recent developments show that the Polish government


has found the perfect solution: betting on nuclear energy. Poland wants to accelerate its low-carbon transition in line with the EU’s climate goals by building six nuclear reactors over the next 20 years. The decarbonisation pathway chosen by the Polish government could set an example for other members of the EU to follow if they are serious about climate change.


Poland’s energy strategy The Polish government recently adopted a long-awaited energy strategy, entitled “Energy Policy of Poland until 2040”, which establishes a framework for the energy transformation and presents strategic directions on selecting low-carbon technologies for building a low- emission energy system. In the document, the Polish government has included nuclear energy together with offshore wind as key strategic projects which will help the country decarbonise its power system. According to the document, the Polish nuclear fleet


will consist of six units (total capacity of 6-9GW) based on proven, large-scale, Generation III (+) PWRs, which will be connected to the grid by 2043. The first unit, with a capacity of 1-1.6GW, will be started up in 2033 and it will be followed by more units every 2-3 years. The recently approved strategy echoes the earlier Polish


Baltic sea


Lubiatowo-Kopalino Kopań


Choczewo Żarnowiec Gdańsk


Tczew


Stepnica-1 Szczecin


Krzymów Wielkopolski Gorzów Zielona Góra


Warta-Klempicz Poznań


Stepnica-2


Krzywiec Lisowo


Pniewo Pniewo-Krajnik Dębógora


Wiechowo Bydgoszcz


Chełmno Nieszawa


Toruń Karloewo Pątnów Łódź Bełchatów Wrocław Opole Katowice


Recommended sites Other proposed sites


Above: Polish sites being considered for nuclear new-build 38 | May 2021 | www.neimagazine.com Kraków Kielce Gościeradów Połaniec Rzeszów


Energy security Nuclear energy provides a secure supply of baseload energy. With a typical availability of around 90%, nuclear power plants are a reliable source of electricity, especially compared with other low-carbon sources. Nuclear energy helps the countries which choose it to reduce their dependency on fossil fuel imports (an important factor in the case of Poland), which make them less dependent


Olsztyn Białystok


Nowe Miasto Wyszków


Warszawa


Chotcza Kozienice


Małkinia


Nuclear Power Programme approved in 2014 and updated in 2020. The potential nuclear power plant sites selected are identical with the locations specified in the 2014 programme and the location of the first nuclear power plant Poland will be selected from among potential coastal locations. Currently, Poland’s nuclear new-build project is led by PGE EJ 1 — a special purpose vehicle responsible for preparing the investment process. Its activities include the administrative decisions based on the site investigation and environmental assessment. The Polish government says that the rationale for


Lublin


investing in nuclear power rests on three pillars: energy security; climate and the environment; and economy. Constructing nuclear power plants can help Poland meet many strategic objectives, as nuclear provides security of energy supply, decreases dependency on fossil fuel imports, boosts the economy and helps decarbonise the power system in line with the energy and climate targets agreed at EU level.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45