The first commercial nuclear power plant in Poland now is set for commercial operation in 2036, with the first concrete to be poured in 2028, a national energy agency official disclosed Dec. 11. This delays the previously announced timeframe by three years for the three-unit, 3,750-MW plant to be built north of Gdansk near the country's Baltic Sea coast.

State-owned development firm Polskie Elektrownie Jadrowe (PEJ) signed an 18-month engineering services contract in 2023 with Westinghouse Electric and Bechtel to develop the plant that includes three AP1000 reactors. Polish energy infrastructure official Wojciech Wrochna said its second and third units will operate in 2037 and 2038. 

Project delays are related to selecting a technology vendor, changes to nuclear law and permitting and finance issues, sector experts told industry publication NucNet.

Bechtel has conducted surveys covering 30 hectares at the site related to geological and hydrogeological conditions to inform design of the plant's three reactors, inflow basin and cooling water channels. Bechtel now is engaging Polish supply chain contractors, according to the owner, with several subcontracts already signed.

The government will provide equity to cover 30% of the estimated $37-billion total plant cost, with the rest to come from outside financing, it said. The U.S. International Development Finance Corp. said it will provide more than $980 million, with the U.S. Export-Import Bank also set to contribute. Commitments from Canada and France also have been announced, but the European Union is still determining its funding.

The updated PEJ nuclear energy program also includes a second plant in a still undetermined location, with construction of its first reactor to start in 2032. Wrochna said the government expects to select a development team in late 2026 in a competitive bid. Talks with potential bidders are set to start early next year, with contenders said to include Westinghouse, France-based EDF and South Korea’s Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power.

More than 92% of Poles support construction of nuclear power plants, according to a recent government-commissioned survey.