Plans for centre to train staff for operation of BWRX-300 nuclear reactor fleet
The Lukasiewicz Research Network and Orlen Synthos Green Energy (OSGE) have launched a collaboration to advance the development of small modular reactors (SMRs) in Poland.
Plans include the establishment and joint operation of a nuclear energy training centre. The agreement was signed at the Lukasiewicz–Electrotechnical Institute in Warsaw, where the facility is planned to be located.
The training centre will support the development of personnel to operate a fleet of SMRs. It will also serve as a hub for information, training and educational programmes.
The cooperation will encompass R&D work and the commercialisation of technologies related to SMRs.
OSGE is planning to build BWRX-300 reactors designed by GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy.
The statement said SMRs will play a pivotal role in Poland’s energy transition by filling the gap in low-emission, stable energy production that will be left by the closure of coal-fired power plants in the 2030s and 2040s.
“Building a fleet of BWRX-300 reactors in Poland is an unprecedented undertaking,” said Bartosz Fijalkowski, vice-president of OSGE. “This process requires the highest technological and safety standards, as well as competent personnel.”
The Lukasiewicz Research Network is an organisation comprised of 22 institutes. It was established in 2019 as a state entity designed to bridge the gap between science and business, operating under the supervision of the Polish government.
OSGE is a joint venture established by state energy company Orlen and privately owned Synthos Green Energy, which is part of the Synthos Group, the largest private industrial group in Poland, owned by Polish billionaire and investor Michal Solowow.
In December 2023, joint venture OSGE received a decision-in-principle for the construction of up to 24 SMRs at six potential sites across the country.
