English Section

Poland in talks with US, Japan, France to help develop nuclear power: gov’t spokesman

05.02.2020 17:00
Poland is in talks with the United States, Japan and France to help it build its first nuclear power plant, the Polish government spokesman said on Wednesday.
Audio
  • Poland in talks with US, Japan, France to help develop nuclear power: Listen to a report by Tomasz Ferenc
Polish government spokesman Piotr Mller
Polish government spokesman Piotr MüllerPhoto: PAP/Paweł Supernak

Piotr Müller told state broadcaster TVP that negotiations on developing nuclear power in the country were shifting into higher gear, with the final choice of technology expected to be made soon.

"I think that will happen sometime next year because there is nothing to wait for here," he said.

Müller added that Poland’s first nuclear power plant would be up and running within a decade once construction got under way.

At this stage, the government has yet to decide whether to go for “small or large nuclear reactors,” Müller also said, adding that it was too early to talk about where the future power plant would be located.

Piotr Naimski, the Polish government's pointman on strategic energy infrastructure, said in the middle of last year that nuclear power would account for around 20 percent of Poland’s energy mix by 2045.

Naimski, who serves as Secretary of State for Strategic Energy Infrastructure, told public broadcaster Polish Radio at the time that plans provided for building more than one nuclear power plant in Poland.

Poland in June last year signed a memorandum of understanding with the United States on cooperation in civilian nuclear energy.

The signing of the document in Washington coincided with Polish President Andrzej Duda's visit to the White House.

Poland's then-Energy Minister Krzysztof Tchórzewski was quoted as saying at the time that “there is a strong will from the United States to cooperate with Poland" as his country prepared to build its first nuclear power plant.

Meanwhile, Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki last month visited Tokyo where he declared that his country was ready to open its doors wide to Japanese producers and investors.

He mentioned possible joint projects in areas including new energy sources, public broadcaster Polish Radio’s IAR news agency reported.

Energy issues, including nuclear power, were also reportedly discussed when French President Emmanuel Macron visited Warsaw this week.

(gs/pk)

Source: IAR, TVP

Click on the audio icon above to listen to a report by Radio Poland's Tomasz Ferenc.