Plans commence to build Poland’s first nuclear power plant

Bechtel President Craig Albert and Westinghouse President Patrick Fragman in Choczewo, where surveys have begun. Photo: Bechtal/Westinghoue

On Sept. 11, Poland formally requested approval of financing from the European Commission to build its first nuclear power plants. Poland plans to allocate 60 billion PLN (15.7 billion USD) to construct three American-designed Westinghouse AP 1000 nuclear reactors on the Baltic Coast. The reactors will be built by Bechtel, an American engineering and construction company.

This project garnered broad support both in Poland and the US, and is symbolic of the countries’ good relationship and shared commitment to supporting clean, secure energy in Central and Eastern Europe. Poland, like many European countries, has moved away from Russian power since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine but still relies on fossil fuels to generate most of its electricity. The US Department of Energy is also investing in a training center that will allow Poland to provide engineers to other countries looking to start nuclear projects.

The US ambassador to Poland, Mark Brzezinski, told the New York Times that energy security is of utmost importance to Poland and called the plant, “the most significant expression of our relationship with Poland since it joined NATO in 1999.”

However, In Choczewo, the scenic coastal town where the plant is set to be built, not everyone welcomes these plans. The development, which would not start providing electricity for over a decade, would bring over 20,000 construction workers to a village of fewer than 6,000 residents, necessitate a new railway line and pier, and take around 90 acres of forests and beach land. 

At Choczewo’s annual harvest festival, amidst farmers' markets and folk performances, a group of residents called SOS Baltic protested the construction wearing t-shirts reading, “No Atoms in the Baltic!” The protestors are not against nuclear power but demand that the project be relocated. 

A booth set up by residents at the Chochzewo Harvest festival protesting construction of the nuclear power plant in the village. Photo: Maciek Nabrdalik, New York Times

The distaste for building in Choczewo comes from a desire to preserve its natural environment and serenity, a sentiment exacerbated by memories of a failed soviet attempt to build a nuclear plant nearby in the 1980s. Construction of the Soviet plant was aborted in 1989 as Poland was running out of money and concerned about Russian technology following the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. A farming village, just 10 miles from the new site in Choczewo was bulldozed to build the plant, which remains half-built today, abandoned and decaying. 

Nuclear energy trauma from Chornobyl and other frustrating nuclear project failures still haunt many EU countries, and the energy source remains highly controversial. In March of this year, EU countries demonstrated an even split on the issue, with a group of 13 countries led by France signing a pro-nuclear statement, and Germany and Austria leading a rival group of 13 countries advocating for the EU to pursue more cost-effective renewable energy options. 

In favor of Nuclear power were Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, the Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Sweden. This group notably includes many former Eastern Bloc countries. Those opposed were Denmark, Estonia, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. 

In Choczewo, local opposition to the destruction of forests and worries about safety echo the larger European doubts about nuclear energy. In Germany, anti-nuclear sentiment is rooted in distrust of atomic technology and skepticism that cleaner emissions outweigh the environmental toll of construction and the issue of nuclear waste. Regardless of opposition, the construction of the new plant in Poland is very likely to go forward. The plant has strong support across Poland’s polarized party lines and would likely be a significant boost to its economy.