27 Nov (NucNet): Poland’s first nuclear power plant – with an output of 1,000 or 1,500 MW – could come online in 2033, with another five expected to follow by 2043, according to a draft energy strategy released for public consultation.
“The Energy Policy of Poland by 2040”, proposed by the country’s energy ministry, says the realisation of the nation’s nuclear programme will still depend on finalising the financing model for the projects and choosing the technology and location for the proposed plants.
The 2040 policy mentions Kopalino and Żarnowiec in northern Poland and Bełchatow in central Poland as potential sites for construction.
Environmental and site selection surveys have been underway since April 2017 at Kopalino and Żarnowiec under a 2014 nuclear programme approved by Poland’s previous government.
The 2040 policy foresees the eventual deployment of high-temperature reactors in the 2040s and beyond to satisfy the demand for industrial heat.
It says Poland needs to design and build a centralised repository for low- to medium-level radioactive waste by 2027.
In 2014 Poland launched a national nuclear power programme which included the construction of up to 6 GW of capacity by 2035.
Shortly after taking over at the end of 2015, Poland’s current government announced it would update the programme, but kept pushing back the deadline over uncertainties related to the project’s financing model.
According to the latest reports, the Polish cabinet is expected to take its final decision on the nuclear programme by the end of 2018.
The 2040 policy – a separate proposal to the 2014 nuclear programme – sets the end of 2018 as a deadline to finalise the financing model for the first plant. It proposes 2021 as the deadline for selecting the technology vendor and says construction of the first unit should begin in 2024.
The policy also calls for Poland’s nuclear industry to take up to 60% of the value of the proposed nuclear projects.
Last week Polish energy minister Krzysztof Tchórzewski told a conference in Warsaw that Poland must invest in a new low-carbon energy source if it is to reduce its CO2 emissions, with nuclear energy a potential solution to the challenges facing the Polish economy and the energy sector.
Currently about 80% of Poland’s electricity comes from burning coal. The Polish energy ministry wants to reduce that to 60% in the 2030s by introducing nuclear and offshore wind energy
The 2040 energy policy draft is online (Polish): http://bit.ly/2BywVFS
