Representatives of nuclear energy companies – Westinghouse, EDF, and Candu – participated on Tuesday in a study visit to Konin (Greater Poland Voivodeship). The region is bidding to host Poland's second nuclear power plant.
- Westinghouse, EDF, and Candu visited Konin, which together with Bełchatów remains the preferred location for Poland's second nuclear power plant.
- Preliminary studies commissioned by ZE PAK found no contraindications for building a nuclear power plant at this site.
- The Ministry of Energy is conducting a competitive dialogue with EDF, KHNP, AtkinsRéalis, and Westinghouse; technology selection is expected in 2027, and location selection in 2028.
The study visit began at Lake Pątnowskie because – as the organizers from the "Atom w Koninie" team argued – water is Konin's greatest asset as a location for Poland's second nuclear power plant.
For several decades, the power plants operating there, belonging to ZE PAK, have used five nearby lakes to cool their systems. In the region – as emphasized by the company's vice president Andrzej Janiszowski – post-mining excavations are also being flooded. The Kleczew reservoir has already been filled with water, and another reservoir after the Jóźwin IIB open-pit mine is being flooded; ultimately, it will be the largest lake in Greater Poland. The reservoir will have 240 million cubic meters of water within a few years; currently, it is about 15-20% flooded, calculated the ZE PAK vice president.
Representatives of ZE PAK also pointed to the location right next to the current Pątnów power plant of the PSE station, which at its peak served over 2,000 MW from the Konin power plant. Preliminary studies commissioned by the company also found no contraindications for building a nuclear power plant. No active tectonic faults or earthquakes of at least magnitude 6-7 on the Richter scale were recorded in the region, indicated Łukasz Złakowski from In Plus, the company that conducted the studies.
"Poland needs more than two nuclear power plants"
On Tuesday, the study visit was attended by representatives of three nuclear energy companies: American Westinghouse, French EDF, and Canadian Candu. All assessed that Konin and Bełchatów are two comparable locations and currently there are no contraindications for building a nuclear power plant in either of them.
Asked about the costs of building a power plant, EDF CEO Thierry Deschaux said that using special cooling systems or building installations in seismically active areas could increase them. Such an investment is still possible, but it will be more expensive.
Deschaux noted, however, that based on current studies, it cannot be said which location would generate higher costs; only a deeper feasibility study will answer such questions. The final decision will be – as he noted – up to the government, which, due to social or political circumstances, may make its own decision anyway.
In the same tone, Jerry Piskorski, Director of New Projects at Candu Energy, spoke. "It is too early to say whether this will affect the cost," he assessed the possible advantage of water resources in the Konin region.
As he added, in his opinion, the optimal solution would be to build two nuclear power plants – both in Konin and Bełchatów.
Poland needs quite a lot of energy. Today, most of it comes from coal. (...) Poland is moving towards reducing the share of energy from coal. To do this, it is necessary to build not one or two locations, but many, he said.
Regional authorities plan to organize exclusive visits to Konin for all foreign investors, announced MP Tomasz Nowak (KO) on Tuesday. On Monday, representatives of Candu had already visited the region. They met with local government officials, entrepreneurs, and students, and also viewed flooded post-mining open pits.
Readiness to cooperate was declared on Tuesday by the Marshal of Greater Poland, Marek Woźniak. As he recalled, Greater Poland began efforts to build a nuclear power plant in the voivodeship as early as 2009. The region – in his opinion – is developing dynamically and needs a stable energy source. "If this location is decided by objective, scientific, confirmed facts, we believe we have an advantage here," he stated. In September, a conference on nuclear investments in Greater Poland is to take place in Poznań.
The second nuclear power plant should start operating in 2040
In the summer of 2025, the Ministry of Energy sent invitations to a competitive dialogue for the construction of Poland's second nuclear power plant to French EDF, which proposes the EPR reactor; Korean KHNP with the APR1400 reactor; Canadian AtkinsRéalis, owner of Candu technology; and Westinghouse with the AP1000 model. Poland's first nuclear power plant is being built using Westinghouse technology.
Last Friday, the Ministry of Energy presented an update to the Polish Nuclear Power Program. The preferred locations for the second power plant remain Bełchatów and Konin. The selection of partner and technology is expected in 2027, and the location in 2028. Construction of the second power plant is planned to start in 2032, and the first unit's commercial operation in 2040.
The "Atom w Koninie" team was established in 2025. Its goal is to coordinate and promote Konin as the location for Poland's second nuclear power plant. The initiative includes local government officials, MPs, the CEO of ZE PAK, and representatives of the academic world.
Poland's first nuclear power plant is being built in the Pomeranian municipality of Choczewo. The investor is Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe, and the contractor is a consortium of American companies Westinghouse and Bechtel. The first reactor of this power plant, built using Westinghouse's AP1000 technology, is to start operation in 2036, with subsequent ones in 2037 and 2038.
