Poland Enters Competition for Next Nuclear Power Plant Project... Invites Four Companies Including KHNP

On November 28 (local time), Russia's state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported that the Polish Ministry of Energy has invited four foreign companies, including Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), to discuss plans for the construction of a second nuclear power plant.

According to the report, the Polish Ministry of Energy stated, "While proceeding with the plan for the first nuclear power plant to be built in the Pomeranian Voivodeship, we are also preparing a similar second investment," adding, "We have invited four nuclear reactor manufacturers from the United States, Canada, France, and South Korea to participate in a 'competitive dialogue.'"

The four companies are Westinghouse Electric Corporation, headquartered in the United States; the French state-owned energy company EDF; Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power; and AtkinsR?alis, a Canadian engineering and nuclear company. The Ministry of Energy announced that the competitive dialogue to determine which company will provide the nuclear technology is scheduled to take place in 2026.

This fall, Poland began construction of its first domestic nuclear power plant in accordance with the 'Polish Nuclear Power Program.' Westinghouse Electric Corporation is currently working on the preliminary design for Poland's first nuclear power plant.

Poland plans to build a nuclear power plant every two to three years for the time being. Once all six nuclear power plants are completed, their combined capacity is expected to reach up to 9 gigawatts (GW).

Previously, in April, Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power succeeded in securing a contract for two units at the Dukovany Nuclear Power Plant in the Czech Republic. However, suspicions have since been raised that, in order to win further nuclear power contracts, the company may have reached a disadvantageous agreement with Westinghouse Electric Corporation of the United States to resolve an intellectual property dispute.