Move provides for development of local reference SMR design
GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy and Orlen Synthos Green Energy (OSGE) have signed an agreement to advance the Polish generic design of the BWRX-300 small modular reactor, a statement said.
The Poland Generic Design Agreement was signed during a ceremony in Washington DC attended by US deputy energy secretary James Danly, Poland’s energy minister Miłosz Motyka and government plenipotentiary for strategic energy infrastructure Wojciech Wrochna.
GE Vernova said that under the agreement, OSGE will invest in the development of a detailed BWRX-300 design to serve as a reference model for potential SMR projects in Poland.
The International Atomic Energy Agency uses the term “generic reactor design” to describe a standard plant design that is assessed independently of a specific site.
The BWRX-300 is a 300-MW boiling water reactor design. The first BWRX-300 SMR is under construction at Ontario Power Generation’s Darlington nuclear site in Canada, with completion expected by the end of the decade.
In the US, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is reviewing an application by the Tennessee Valley Authority to build a BWRX-300 at the Clinch River site in Tennessee.
In Poland, OSGE’s has been preparing for deployment of BWRX-300 units at three separate sites – Wloclawek, central Poland, Ostroleka, northeastern Poland, and Stawy Monowskie, in the south of the country. It is expecting to complete the first unit near Wloclawek by 2032.
In December 2023, the company received a decision-in-principle for the construction of up to 24 SMRs at six potential sites across the country.
Motyka said Poland is pursuing both large-scale nuclear power plants and small modular reactors to support a stable, zero-emission power system and rising electricity demand. He said SMRs could provide baseload power for energy-intensive industries and support the development of a domestic nuclear supply chain.
“Poland has the potential to become a European leader in Small Modular Reactor (SMR) technology,” the minister said.
Wrochna said a standardised generic design would support repeatable deployment and help reduce capital costs while increasing industrial participation by Polish companies.
Jason Cooper, chief executive officer of GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy, said the agreement would help accelerate deployment of the BWRX-300 in Poland. OSGE chief executive Rafał Kasprów said the design would comply with Polish regulations and support plans for a multi-unit fleet across several locations.
OSGE was created in 2022 as a joint venture between state-controlled energy group Orlen and SGE, formerly known as Synthos Green Energy. SGE belongs to the MS Galleon Group, a privately held Polish industrial conglomerate owned by investor Michal Sołowow.
MS Galleon also controls chemical producer Synthos, one of its main industrial assets. In 2019, Synthos concluded a cooperation agreement with GE Hitachi on the potential deployment of the BWRX-300 reactor in Poland, marking the first agreement of this kind signed globally for the design.
OSGE recently sent a letter to Poland’s energy ministry asking to be admitted to the competitive dialogue process for the country’s second large nuclear power plant.
