They made a key motion. Closer to the construction of the “nuclear”
The first Polish nuclear power plant is one step closer to implementation. The investor company (Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe) has just submitted an application for a construction permit. Extensive documentation was sent to the president of the Polish Atomic Energy Agency (PAA) – the institution that must consent to the commencement of construction works.
– Submitting an application for a permit to build the first nuclear power plant in Poland is a signal that we are determined to implement an investment that will guarantee stable energy prices for Polish families and a driving force for modern industry for decades, said Wojciech Wrochna, deputy minister and government plenipotentiary for strategic energy infrastructure.
The document is crucialbecause it describes, among other things, how the entire construction will be carried out. It also contains a Preliminary Safety Analysis Report (PSAR), indicating that the investor meets all standards in the field of radiation protection (radiological protection).
Powerful documentation of the power plant
The application was accompanied by documentation prepared by Polish Nuclear Power Plants and the American Westinghouse-Bechtel consortium, which became the general contractor of the Polish nuclear power plant. It’s a total of over 40,000 pages. More than two hundred people worked on the application, including experts in nuclear safety and radiological protection.
– This is one of the most important days for the implementation of the project of the first Polish nuclear power plant. This is the first and so far only such application in the history of modern Poland after 1989, said Marek Woszczyk, president of Polish Nuclear Power Plants. – Knowing what challenges both us and the regulator face in terms of efficient processing and assessment of the application, we have been conducting an intensive pre-license dialogue with the National Atomic Energy Agency for a long time – he adds.
What’s next? It takes time
In accordance with the law, Polish Atomic Energy Agency (PAA) has two years to consider the application and issue a decision. Importantly, this period may be extended by the time needed to complete the documentation. Considering the complexity of the investment, this is very likely.
For PAA, this is the most complicated process since the interrupted construction of the nuclear power plant in Żarnowiec (1981–1990). The energy industry believes that the entire process may take much longer than 24 months. In response to these concerns, the ministry announced: amendment to the regulations enabling the construction to be “divided” into several stages.
– The proposed legal changes will allow a large part of the work to start earlier, without having to wait for the PAA’s “verdict” in a number of safety-related matters at the startup or operation stage. This is rather a mitigation of the risk of further delays resulting from the expected delay in formal procedures with the PAA, rather than a real acceleration compared to the previously declared deadlines – said Daniel Radomski, an expert in construction and energy, to “Forsal”.
PAA will be literally overwhelmed with documents in the coming years. In addition to the first conventional power plant, applications will also be submitted by investors planning to build modular reactors (SMRs).
PAA answers: first, a formal and legal assessment
The Agency confirmed acceptance of the application. As noted by the president, first a formal and legal assessment of the permit application will be carried out. Only after its completion, information about the initiation of proceedings will appear in BIP. Importantly, the content of the application and a short safety report will also appear online.
“The safety assessment of the planned power plant will be carried out in several stages. It will include a detailed verification of documentation describing, among others, technical solutions used in the reactor design, organizational solutions that will be used during the preparation and construction of the nuclear power plant, safety analyses, and operating limits and conditions in terms of their compliance with the law. In some aspects of this assessment, PAA will also be supported by independent authorized laboratories and expert organizations. A permit to build a nuclear power plant may be issued only if it is found that the legally required conditions for carrying out activities involving exposure to ionizing radiation covered by the application have been met. – says PAA.
When will construction start?
Polish Nuclear Power Plants assume that actual construction will begin in the fourth quarter of 2028. This will be the moment when the first nuclear concrete for the power plant is poured. To this end, the company wants to submit an application for a construction permit next year (a key element, next to the PAA consent).
Earlier – next year – preparatory works will start. Currently, trees have been cut down on an area of 333 hectares, and construction of the facilities will begin soon. The company estimates that at the peak (i.e. in 2028–2029) over 10,000 people will work on the construction site. people.
“Construction works are scheduled to start in 2028. The construction of each reactor will take approximately 7 years. Then there will be a testing and commissioning period lasting approximately one year. The first reactor will begin commercial operation in 2036, the second in 2037, and the third in 2038.” – reports PEJ.
The power plant in the Choczewo commune will consist of three AP1000 reactors with a total installed capacity of 3,750 MWe. The Lubiatowo-Kopalino Power Plant is to replace conventional power plants in the Polish power system, e.g. in Bełchatów, which will be gradually decommissioned in the second half of the 2030s.
