— France is a very serious potential partner when it comes to building this second nuclear power plant. We are currently at the identification stage of who will present the most attractive offer to Poland, said Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Monday at a briefing with French President Emmanuel Macron.
— We need partners in whom we can trust in some sense, timeless, and that's why France will be treated as one of the most serious partners in all these demanding projects: military, energy, space – he added.
See also: President Macron comes to Gdańsk. Without meeting Karol Nawrocki
Tusk-Macron meeting. An important declaration about the Polish nuclear energy
Emmanuel Macron emphasized that the choice of a technology supplier is an independent decision of the Polish government. However, even if Poland chooses another partner, France may participate in the construction because the French concern EDF has a wide range of services and products related to this technology, said the French president.
—EDF is 100% owned by to the state, so it is a trustworthy partner, Macron said.
See also: Polish-French cooperation is gaining momentum. Will everything go according to plan? [ANALIZA]
Nuclear power plant in Poland
The company Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe is responsible for the construction of the first power plant in the Choczewo commune in Pomerania, and the contractor is a consortium of American companies Westinghouse and Bechtel. The investment cost is estimated at nearly PLN 200 billion. The first reactor of this power plant is scheduled to start operating in 2036, and the next ones in 2037 and 2038.
Who will build the second power plant? In 2025, the Ministry of Industry started a preliminary dialogue with suppliers of reactor technology for the second nuclear power plant in Poland. Bełchatów, Kozienice, Połaniec and Konin were indicated as potential locations. Research in Bełchatów and Konin Polska Grupa Energetyczna is responsible for the future construction of the power plant.
Polish nuclear from the French?
According to the government's Polish Nuclear Energy Program (PPEJ), our country is to build two large nuclear power plants.
The dialogue with potential strategic partners for the construction of the second power plant has already started.
In this group, apart from the Americans, there is also the French EDF and the Canadian CANDU. But the fiercest competition is between the Americans and the French.
