Polish Nuclear Power Plants with a new vice-president. The government is accelerating investments
On Friday, a general meeting of shareholders of Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe was held, represented by the government plenipotentiary for strategic energy infrastructure, Deputy Minister of Energy Wojciech Wrochna. Michał Olszewski, former vice-president of Warsaw, was appointed to the management board as vice-president. He will take up his position on June 2. Adam Piotrowski returned to the PEJ supervisory board.
Olszewski is to replace Piotr Piela. We were the first to write about his resignation at the beginning of March.
— The correction in the composition of the management board is related to the fact that we are moving to the next stage of project development. In the management board, we need to strengthen the area related to responsibility for local content and work in the region where the investment is being made – the government plenipotentiary for strategic energy infrastructure, Deputy Minister of Energy Wojciech Wrochna, who supervised the company, told us at that time.
Vice-President of Warsaw Michał Olszewski
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Adam Burakowski/East News / East News
Warsaw local government official for vice-president of PEJ
Olszewski was most recently associated with Orlen Termika. On the company's management board, he was responsible for the preparation and implementation of the largest transformation program in its history. He is also the Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Gdańsk Regional Development Agency. Our interlocutors present him as an experienced local government official who, as a long-time vice president of Warsaw, was responsible for obtaining over PLN 18 billion from EU funds. He supervised key transport and development investments, including: construction of the second metro line.
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At PEJ – as we wrote recently – he is responsible for the accompanying infrastructure, local content and relations with the local government. Accompanying infrastructure, i.e. roads, railways, etc. is crucial for the efficiency of investment implementation.
The key document for nuclear power is to be disclosed in May
The Ministry of Energy is to present an updated version of the Polish Nuclear Energy Program after consultations in May. As Wrochna said during the European Economic Congress in Katowice, it should be discussed by the government this quarter.
He also announced the construction of the entire nuclear sector in Poland. As he said, the government wants the investment in the first nuclear power plant, then in the next one and in SMRs to contribute to this building the entire sector, involving Polish enterprises, science, etc. to the greatest extent possible. – The idea is for Polish companies to be given the widest possible range of tasks, to gain experience and then be able to engage in this type of investments in other countries in the region – he emphasized.
The challenge is to finance the second power plant
Financial issues are an important element of the dialogue with those willing to build a second nuclear power plant in Poland. This group includes Americans, French and Canadians.
The financing model for this investment will not assume the same share of money from the budget as in the case of the first power plant. The first power plant is to cost nearly PLN 200 billion, of which over PLN 60 billion is provided by the state budget.
— This, of course, does not mean that the state will not get involved. The state will have to get involved in the form of various instruments, either a contract for difference or a State Treasury guarantee – Wrochna announced.
However, as he emphasized, the government wants investors' money to appear in the second project. — Initial talks with potential investors are quite optimistic. They show that it is possible – we will discuss it in detail in the next stages of the dialogue, he announced.
Will a second nuclear power plant be built? – asked Bartek Sawicki from “Rzeczpospolita” during the ECG interview. – In order for the second nuclear power plant to be built, we must have an offer that will guarantee that the second power plant will find its place on the market and will be able to produce electricity at a price that will ensure the competitiveness of the Polish economy – replied Wrochna.
As he noted, the competitiveness of the offer will determine the final selection of a strategic partner and the implementation of this investment. — I am positive, but only the details of the offer will decide whether we will go further with this project – he concluded.
