US Westinghouse’s technology to aid Polish nuclear programme – The First News
Rafał Guz/PAP
The American supplier of nuclear products and technologies Westinghouse will work with several Polish firms on Poland's nuclear energy programme.
On Friday, the US company signed cooperation agreements with 10 Polish firms for the possible construction of six AP1000 nuclear reactors as part of the Polish Nuclear Power Programme.
"Westinghouse is ready to support Poland in achieving its goals related to energy policy... acting on its experience in implementing investments in nuclear technologies around the world," Mirosław Kowalik, the CEO of Westinghouse Electric Poland, said at the signing event.
"We want to provide Poland with the best technology for the implementation of tasks related to counter-acting climate change, and to meet the energy needs of the Polish economy," he added.
In its Polish projects, Westinghouse will be additionally supported by a team of nearly 200 employees at the Westinghouse Global Shared Services Centre in Kraków, which is involved in the company's global activities.
The agreements signed on Friday also cover other possible projects in the region.
Under the Polish government's energy strategy, Poland plans to construct six nuclear power units. The first reactor should start working in 2033, generating some 1-1.6 GW of power. Subsequent reactors would be constructed every two to three years.
Poland has already signed an inter-governmental agreement with the US under which Westinghouse and another US American company, Bechtel, were to submit their offers this year.
On October 28, 2021 the French state-controlled power group EDF offered to build four to six nuclear reactors in Poland, with a total installed capacity of 6.6-9.9 GW.
South Korea’s state-owned energy company KHNP has said it is set to make an offer to the Polish government by the end of March, 2022, to build six APR1400 nuclear reactors with a total installed capacity of 8.4 GW in Poland. According to KHNP, the APR1400 reactors meet the basic requirements set out in the Polish programme.
Gloss