Poland / Report Outlines Economic Benefits Of Westinghouse AP1000 Deployment ( www.nucnet.org )

US company supplying three reactors for first nuclear power station.

The deployment of six Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear power units will produce more than $30bn (€27bn) of gross domestic product impact while their subsequent operation would generate $9.5bn in GDP annually, a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers has found.

According to the study, commissioned by Westinghouse, the six plants would support 16,300 jobs annually.

The AP1000 project could also help the EU reach its target of achieving net zero greenhouse emissions by 2050, with the six units capable of powering at least 13 million homes, the study said. In addition, the project could advance the Poland nuclear supply chain and assist in the development of human capital through Westinghouse technology and training.

In November 2022, Warsaw chose Westinghouse to supply its AP1000 pressurised water reactor technology for the country’s first nuclear power station, a three-unit facility at Lubiatowo-Kopalino in Pomerania, northern Poland.

In late 2023, Westinghouse formed a consortium with US partner Bechtel for the project. Geological studies at the new-build site are set to start this spring.

Poland wants to have between 6 GW and 9 GW of commercial nuclear power at up to two sites in the early 2040s under its current nuclear power programme adopted in 2020.

PricewaterhouseCoopers produced the report, The Economic Impact of a Westinghouse AP1000 Reactor Project in Poland, for Westinghouse and its owners, Brookfield and Cameco.