Motyka said components of the so-called “nuclear island” had already been commissioned, including key structural modules and the reactor containment structure.
Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ), the state-owned investor in the project, said it had instructed Westinghouse to begin ordering “long-lead items” for the first unit of the planned Lubiatowo-Kopalino nuclear power plant.
The order covers six key components of the nuclear island, including the reactor containment structure and associated structural modules.
PEJ President Marek Woszczyk said the first long-lead items handled by Bechtel had already been ordered, and the process was now beginning on the Westinghouse side, which is responsible for the plant’s nuclear island.
He said ordering the components early would help protect both the project schedule and its budget, as the items account for a significant share of the overall costs.
The order is part of PEJ’s cooperation with the Westinghouse-Bechtel consortium under the existing Engineering Development Agreement (EDA).
PEJ and Westinghouse expect Polish companies to compete for the orders once they successfully complete the process of meeting the requirements of the international ASME NQA-1 quality standard.
ASME NQA-1 is a US standard that sets quality-assurance requirements for the nuclear sector. Seven Polish companies are currently involved in the qualification process.
Westinghouse Energy Systems chief Dan Lipman described the long-lead orders as a key milestone and said they represent an important first step towards bringing Polish industry into the nuclear-component supply chain, both for this plant and future AP1000 projects in Europe.
PEJ and the Energy Ministry say they expect to negotiate the construction contract by the end of this year.
The plant is being built in Choczewo municipality in northern Poland, with PEJ as investor and Westinghouse and Bechtel as the US consortium responsible for construction. French company Arabelle, part of the EDF group, is to supply the turbines and generators.
The first reactor, using Westinghouse’s AP1000 technology, is scheduled to begin operating in 2036, followed by the second and third reactors in 2037 and 2038.
(sp)
Source: PAP