The event “Nuclear – opportunities and engagement of Polish industry” was addressed at Polish companies interested in joining the domestic supply chain for Poland’s first nuclear power plant project. The conference was also attended by government officials, including Secretary of State at the Ministry of State Assets Eliza Zeidler, Head of Pomorskie Voivodeship Beata Rutkiewicz, Marshal of Pomorskie Voivodeship Mieczysław Struk, and Director of the Nuclear Energy Department at the Ministry of Energy Paweł Gajda. The event was held under the auspices of the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of State Assets, Head of Pomorskie Voivodeship and Marshal of Pomorskie Voivodeship.
Entrepreneurs already involved or seeking to be involved in the nuclear power plant project in Pomerania have met at the invitation of PEJ on 26 November. The conference organized by Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe is the first of this scale for the Polish companies.
Since May, when we established a special advisory team at the Ministry, we have been working intensively on the local content of the project to build Poland’s first nuclear power plant. Discussions cover the industry’s demands, the methodology for measuring local content and specific tools that will strengthen the position of Polish entities in procurement procedures of PEJ and the Westinghouse-Bechtel consortium. The effects of the work are already in place – the Industrial Development Agency (ARP) recently launched the “Atom bez barier” [“Nuclear without Barriers”] program, which includes a broad package of financial instruments for entrepreneurs willing to get involved in this key project for Poland’s energy security.
We are currently in the process of negotiating an EPC contract with the U.S. Westinghouse-Bechtel consortium, and involvement of Polish companies is one of our priorities. Today's conference is just one of the activities we are implementing in an effort to ensure the highest possible participation of Polish companies in the project. Our company has a separate team responsible for this area, whose tasks include engagement with entrepreneurs and development of viable solutions. We are in close dialogue with our U.S. partners, aiming to show them the importance of this aspect and ensuring that appropriate provisions – as set out in both Polish and EU law and respecting the competitiveness aspect of tender procedures – will be implemented in the negotiated EPC contract. We are working closely with the government and local administration to ensure that as many Polish companies as possible benefit from our project, which obviously must be executed on schedule and within the budget adopted so that the power plant is a safe source of energy at an economically competitive price.
Attended by professionals representing the industry, the meeting offered an opportunity to learn the details of the investment process and PEJ’s upcoming tender procedures. Some of the speeches at the event also concerned competence building by Polish companies so that they can compete for contracts with foreign companies as equals.
The event was also attended by experts from Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe responsible for various elements of the investment process, including procurement, preparatory works, associated infrastructure or compliance with the requirements and certifications of the global nuclear sector. Among the speakers were representatives of the Westinghouse-Bechtel consortium. Conference participants also took part in an expert networking session.
PEJ is the investor responsible for the construction of Poland’s first nuclear power plant to be built in Pomerania. Preparatory works for the construction are currently carried out at the “Lubiatowo-Kopalino” site. In parallel, the power plant design process is underway, and the company is negotiating the EPC (Engineering, Procurement Construction) contract with the U.S. Westinghouse-Bechtel consortium, as well as preparing documentation to inform applications for further administrative permits required to commence construction.
