The preliminary site assessment covered: seismic, tectonic, geological-engineering, hydrogeological, hydrological and meteorological conditions of the site area; external events resulting from human activity in the area; external events resulting from the action of natural forces in the area; population density and development of the area; and the possibility of implementing emergency plans in the event of a radiation incident in the area.
A team of specialists from the National Atomic Energy Agency (PAA) assessed the 700-page preliminary siting report to ensure nuclear safety and radiological protection at the site under consideration, based on compliance with the requirements specified in the law.
“As a result, it was determined that all legally required analyses had been conducted and that none of the factors precluding the construction of nuclear power facilities, which are also the nuclear facilities covered by the report, existed at the site under consideration,” the PAA said. “Therefore, the preliminary assessment concluded that the Lubiatowo-Kopalino location allows for the maintenance of nuclear safety and radiological protection, and therefore there are no circumstances that would preclude the construction of a nuclear power plant there.”
Marek Woszczyk, President of the Management Board of Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ), said: “The basis for preparing the Preliminary Site Report was material collected by our experts during unprecedented site and environmental studies related to the ongoing investment. There are no shortcuts in nuclear energy, and safety is paramount. According to the Atomic Energy Law, a nuclear facility may only be located in an area that allows for, among other things, ensuring nuclear safety, radiological protection, and physical security during commissioning, operation, and decommissioning.”
Following detailed environmental and location studies that began in 2017 with 92 potential sites, PEJ announced in December 2021 that the coastal towns of Lubiatowo and Kopalino in Poland’s Choczewo municipality in the province of Pomerania had been named as the preferred location for the country’s first large nuclear power plant.
_947666e4.jpg)
The planned plant (Image: PEJ)
Obtaining an opinion from the President of the PAA on nuclear safety and radiological protection regarding the preliminary siting report is not mandatory. However, PEJ said it is important “because, after the amendment to the Special Nuclear Act, currently being considered by the Sejm (the lower house of parliament), enters into force, it will be one of the documents attached to the application for a permit from the President of the PAA to perform qualified preliminary construction works at the nuclear power facility.”
On 31 March this year, PEJ submitted an application to the President of the PAA for a construction permit, which includes a Location Report presenting full, more detailed analyses and measurements. Pursuant to the provisions of the Atomic Energy Law, the President of the PAA will issue a decision regarding a permit to build the plant within 24 months of the submission of the application. Obtaining this permit by PEJ is necessary for the Pomeranian Voivode to issue a building permit.
In November 2022, the then Polish government selected Westinghouse AP1000 reactor technology for the construction of the country’s first nuclear power plant, comprising of three units, at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site.
PEJ said it expects to pour first concrete for the plant’s first unit in the fourth quarter of 2028. In order to meet this schedule, the company must obtain both a construction permit from the PAA and a building permit from the Pomeranian Voivode. PEJ said it plans to submit a building permit application in 2027.
Construction of each reactor is expected to take about seven years. This will be followed by approximately one year of testing and commissioning. The first reactor will begin commercial operation in 2036, the second in 2037, and the third in 2038.
