4 Dec (NucNet): Poland is reluctant to finance the construction of nuclear power stations with debt and hopes to continue talks about the project with the US, Piotr Naimski, the government official responsible for key energy infrastructure, told journalists in a briefing today.
“I can say one thing – the financing model should be based on capital and not debt,” Mr Naimski said, adding that he would like the financing structure to be worked out in the coming year.
At the beginning of November US energy secretary Rick Perry visited Warsaw for several bilateral meetings with Polish officials. The US Department of Energy said Mr Perry had “wide ranging discussions about the expansion of our bilateral energy partnerships with Poland included everything from the future of its nuclear energy programme to the development and production of offshore wind and shale oil and gas”.
“This dialogue will be continued and the issue will be addressed,” Mr Naimski said today.
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 last month for public consultation.
The strategy said the nuclear programme will depend on finalising a financing model and choosing the technology and location for the plants.
Polish energy minister Krzysztof Tchórzewski recently 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.
About 80% of Poland’s electricity comes from burning coal. The energy ministry wants to reduce that to 60% in the 2030s by introducing nuclear and offshore wind.
The Polish Press Agency quoted Mr Naimski as saying the government’s nuclear plans have public support. “We have a situation where the project is accepted by most of us,” he said.
