Works related to the design of Poland’s first nuclear power station will take about 18 months after contracts are signed, Lukasz Mlynarkiewicz, head of the company created by the Polish government to oversee the construction of the nation’s first nuclear power station, told the business and investment daily Parkiet.

The company, Polskie Elektrownie Jadrowe (Polish Nuclear Power Plants, PEJ), signed pre-project agreements with US firm Westinghouse at the beginning of this year.

Westinghouse has worked with Virginia-based engineering and construction services provider Bechtel for the Polish project and similar AP1000 plants elsewhere. The Bechtel completed an expansion of the Vogtle nuclear power station in the US state of Georgia earlier this year.

Last month, Westinghouse and Bechtel signed an agreement with Polskie Elektrownie Jadrowe to pave the way for a consortium between the two US partners to develop the project. It is expected to take shape later this year.