The possibility of the participation of Polish and British companies in the nuclear programs of both countries was the theme of Tuesday’s forum at the Ministry of Energy. The British want to build new nuclear power plants; Polish government decision on the atom is expected to take place this year.
British Ambassador to Poland David Reed, opening the forum, said that in view of the intentions of both states in the nuclear sector, British suppliers could share their experiences and the Polish companies could find new areas of activity. Reed recalled that the British have long-term experience in both the construction, operation and demolition of nuclear power plants.
The Nuclear Industry Association of NIAUK has over 250 members, employing 65,000 people. people. NIAUK brings together companies that work for the nuclear sector and institutions from a variety of areas – from technology suppliers and manufacturers, research institutes, mining companies, construction companies, demolition contractors to law firms and consultants. The British Wood Group (formerly AMEC Foster Wheeler) is already involved in the Polish nuclear program as a contract engineer working for the investor – PGE EJ1. Wood is the principal advisor in the study of the potential location of a nuclear power plant in Poland.
PGE EJ1 is focused solely on location and environmental research of two potential locations led by Elbis, a PGE group company, and is waiting for the government’s political decision to build a nuclear power plant and is ready to dialogue with potential technology providers.
Field work should end in early 2018.
The research report should be up to mid-2020 and the location decision would be issued by the end of 2022.
According to Director of the Department of Nuclear Energy in Józef Sobolewski we are already “very close” to the decision of the government, and the whole process of construction should take place within months rather than years. Sobolewski also pointed out that the program is not just about building a power plant but also about building a whole industrial sector in Poland that could compete in the world. We want to master nuclear technologies that could be a new business area for Polish companies. He recalled that more than 60 Polish companies already have real experience in building nuclear power plants abroad.
As part of the Polish Nuclear Energy Program, the ministry has identified nearly 200 Polish and Polish companies that have either experience in the sector or the relevant potential or competence. The largest group of companies is the construction sector. chemistry, metallurgy, mining, chemistry, metallurgy, automation and control, installation, logistics and consultancy.
Leading UK industry representatives include: Companies such as Rolls-Royce, Urenco, Doosan, GE Hitachi, Gleeds, Mott MacDonald and WYG. Some of them already have their Polish branches.
