European Commission gives green light to construction of first nuclear power plant in Poland

The European Commission has approved a support package for the construction and operation of Poland's first nuclear power plant (NPP), declaring it compatible with EU state aid rules.

The government in Warsaw has secured funds for the construction of the NPP, which is expected to cost around 192 billion złoty.

Authorities in Warsaw said they aimed to support the EU investment by contributing capital of around €14 billion, which would cover 30% of the total project cost. Later in December, 4.6 billion złoty(€1.9 billion) will go to the company leading the project.

The power station will be built in the northern municipality of Choczewo, close to the Baltic Sea coast, and will be one of the most important elements of the country's energy transition.

The implementation of the investment is being handled by Poland's NPP developer Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ). According to an amendment to the law of February 2025, the company is to receive public support of up to 60.2 billion złoty (€14 billion) by 2030.

"Construction will be able to being with a kick-start as early as December," Prime Minister Donald Tusk said.

"The construction is starting and, as you can guess, this was an absolutely necessary condition and not at all that easy to obtain."

When will the plant be built?

Poland is implementing the construction of its first NPP in cooperation with the US companies Westinghouse and Bechtel. According to the schedule, the nuclear concrete for the first reactor is planned to be poured in 2028. The power plant will eventually consist of three reactors using AP1000 technology, each with a capacity of 1,250 MWe.

The first unit is set to be completed in 2035, with electricity flowing to the grid in 2036. The third unit is to be operational by 2038.

At the beginning of October, PEJ vice president Piotr Piela said that 30 commercial banks from all over the world had expressed initial interest in participating in the financing.

Projections for 2040 indicate that the power plant will reach around 88.5% capacity, which will supply Poland with reliable and stable electricity, while industry will be able to secure energy for many years to come.

An investment in the future

The project is key to strengthening Poland's energy self-reliance and reducing CO2 emissions. Deputy Minister of Energy and Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure, Wojciech Wrochna, said that the construction of the nuclear power plant is a step that will provide long-term benefits for the entire energy sector.

"It is important that energy from a nuclear power plant gives security, grid stability and that it is clean energy. All these elements are taken into account in the Commission's decision," he said at a press conference.

"The power plant will operate at a very high load and will do so at a relatively low cost."

A choice that is good for the environment

As Professor Mikołaj Oettingen of the Department of Energy and Fuels at the AGH University of Science and Technology in Krakow said in an interview with Euronews, Poland was already considering the construction of an NPP 15 years ago.

The implementation process has been accelerated recently, as the right economic and political conditions have emerged and decision-makers have recognised the urgent need to include nuclear power in the national energy mix.

"Nuclear power is a zero-carbon energy source that is essential for the stable operation of the electricity system. It does not emit carbon dioxide and its implementation will allow replacing long-expired coal-fired power plants, thus reducing CO2 emissions and supporting the achievement of climate goals," Oettingen said.

He pointed out that nuclear power plants are the most efficient energy generators, independent of weather conditions. Implementing nuclear power in Poland will therefore provide a stable source of baseload energy that can operate for another 60-80 years.