France wants to build a nuclear power plant in Poland
Could Poland buy nuclear reactor blocks not from the US, but from France? This is what Jean-Bernard Lévy, president of the French company EDF, says, quoted by the daily “Le Figaro”. – Poland’s decision will be influenced by decisions taken in France concerning the future of EDF and the nuclear programme, Lévy said. EDF is the leading electricity producer on the Seine.
In 2033, the first block of a nuclear power station with a capacity of about 1 to 1.6 GW must be commissioned in our country, the government believes. Then others are to begin
Despite the contract signed by Poland and the United States for the design and construction of our country’s first nuclear power station, France is not laying down its arms. EDF claims to be able to help Poland in the construction of a nuclear power station because it has the technology, knowledge and experience, and the cultural proximity is also important. The CEO of EDF, Jean-Bernard Lévy, and Frank Riester, delegate of the Minister of Foreign Trade, went to Warsaw last week to discuss the French offer for Poland.
– We are being watched by many countries that do not have so many choices for their next nuclear power stations – said EDF CEO Jean-Bernard Lévy at a hearing at the National Assembly. – In Poland, all our interlocutors explain that to equip Poland with six nuclear reactors, there are in fact two options: the American option and the French option, Jean-Bernard Lévy told the deputies.
According to the head of EDF, France’s decisions concerning the reorganisation of EDF will be decisive in this dossier, but also the start of the construction of new EPR reactors. – It is obvious that these decisions will have an absolutely significant impact on Poland’s order for six reactors over the next two or three years – said the EDF Chairman.
The Polish side is open to discussions with the French
Piotr Naimski, the government plenipotentiary for strategic energy infrastructure, admitted in December in an interview with Dziennik Gazeta Prawna that discussions with representatives of the French side are in fact underway. Naimski said that the administration will talk to anyone who presents conditions compatible with the assumptions of the Polish nuclear programme.
On the technological side, the French could offer Poland an EPR-type reactor with a capacity of 1.65 GW. Its two units operate in the Chinese city of Taishan. – An EPR would be the right choice for Poland, both technologically and economically. This technology is characterised by the highest safety standards in so-called 3rd generation reactors, high availability, reduced fuel consumption and reduced production of radioactive waste. An EPR unit can generate more than 12 TWh of CO2-free electricity per year, which avoids 10.5 million tons of CO2 equivalent emissions – recently stated Vakis Ramany, Deputy General Manager of the EDF Group in an interview with Biznesalkert.pl.
Poland wants to launch the first nuclear unit by 2033.
EDF is a French electricity supply company. It has existed since 1946. It is a monopoly in France. It has branches in many European and American countries. In the past EDF was also active in Poland, but sold its assets to the PGE group.
At the beginning of February, the Polish government adopted a resolution on Poland’s energy policy until 2040. It is based on three main pillars: a just transition, the construction of a zero-emission energy system and good air quality. According to this policy, by 2033, the first nuclear power plant unit with a capacity of approximately 1-1.6 GW is to be launched. Subsequent blocks are to be implemented every two or three years and the entire nuclear programme involves the construction of six blocks.
Source: MercatoShow