WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland will work with the U. S. government and Westinghouse to build the Central European country’s first nuclear plant, building on its efforts to burn less coal and gain greater military independence.
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said last Friday on Twitter that Poland would use Westinghouse Electric Company’s “reliable technology” for the plant in Pomerania province, near the Baltic Sea coast. The precise location has not yet been determined.
A strong Poland-U. S. alliance “guarantees the good fortune of our joint initiatives,” Morawiecki said.
Poland plans to spend $40 billion to build two nuclear power plants with 3 reactors each, the last to be introduced in 2043. The agreement with the U. S. The U. S. and Westinghouse plant is for the first 3 reactors at the Pomeranian plant, which authorities say is expected to get started generating electric power in 2033.
Poland has been making plans for decades to build a nuclear power plant to upgrade its aging coal-fired power plants in a country with some of the worst grades of air pollutants in Europe. Construction of a Soviet-generation nuclear power plant began in the early 1980s, when Poland was a component of the Eastern bloc.
Protests from locals and environmentalists, the 1986 crisis at the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine, and budget shortages led to the project’s abandonment.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this year and its use of power to exert economic and political pressure on European nations has increased the urgency for Poland to seek sources of choice of power.
Polish spokesman Piotr Mueller said Saturday he would adopt the resolution at his assembly on Wednesday, which will unveil investment and environmental approval procedures.
Miller said the nuclear power plant in northern Poland would want infrastructure in the region, adding roads.
U. S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm said the allocation would create more than 100,000 jobs for American workers.
“This is a step in strengthening our relations with Poland to create energy security for generations in the long term,” Granholm said.
“This announcement also sends a transparent message to Russia: we will no longer allow them to militarize power,” Granholm said. “The West will unite to oppose this unprovoked aggression, while diversifying energy supply chains and strengthening climate cooperation. “
Poland also received donations from France and South Korea. State Finance Minister Jacek Sasin has said South Korea could still play a role in the mission and that additional talks are scheduled for this week in Seoul.
The United States is one of Poland’s main NATO member allies. After Russia invaded Ukraine in February, the United States beefed up its military presence in the country, creating a permanent presence for the first time and Poland as a hub for shipping weapons to Ukraine.