20 Nov (NucNet): 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, Polish energy minister Krzysztof Tchórzewski told the inaugural World Nuclear Spotlight Poland conference in Warsaw today.
Mr Tchórzewski said considering nuclear energy for Poland is especially important within the context of the European Union’s climate policy, which obliges member states to reduce the share of coal in their energy mix.
He said he wants nuclear in Poland’s energy mix, with 10 GW of capacity an option by 2040, but a final decision is still to be made by the cabinet. Mr Tchórzewski recently told local media that the energy ministry had finalised proposals for a nuclear programme that will be submitted to the cabinet for approval by the end of 2018.
He said Poland expects a 20-25% increase in energy consumption over the next decade and beyond, and nuclear power in in a good position to meet this demand.
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 Brussels-based nuclear association Foratom, a co-organiser of the Warsaw conference, nuclear energy allows countries to meet the objectives of the 2015 Paris Agreement – which seeks to limit the increase in global average temperatures to well below 2°C relative to preindustrial levels – because it contributes significantly to reducing CO2 emissions.
Foratom said a recent report published by the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change concluded that achieving a 1.5C goal will require global greenhouse gas emissions to decrease almost immediately. Nuclear capacity will need to be on average 2.5 times higher by 2050 under the 89 mitigation scenarios considered by the IPCC.
Foratom director-general Yves Desbazeille said the construction of a nuclear power plant can help Poland meet strategic objectives because it provides security of energy supply, decreases dependency on fossil fuel imports, boosts the economy, and helps decarbonise the power system in line with EU energy and climate targets.
Speaking at the Warsaw conference, World Nuclear Association Director General Agneta Rising said: “Poland should take the lead and become one of the next countries to use nuclear generation to meet their energy needs.”
She said: “I hope that, as Poland hosts the upcoming COP 24 UN climate conference, we will see the international community implementing energy and climate strategies that encourage a broad range of mitigation actions, including an expansion of nuclear energy worldwide, so that economies can develop sustainably and efficiently for the benefit of people and the planet.”
Mr Tchórzewski discussed other potential benefits of nuclear energy for Polish industry, saying nuclear provides an opportunity to implement technologically advanced projects that can create stable, high-value jobs. The development of the nuclear sector in Poland could accelerate technology transfer and have a positive impact on many other industries, he said.
