Poland will consider French investment in nuclear plant - official

Poland will consider a French offer to build the country’s first nuclear power plant, a senior Polish official has said.

French state-controlled power group EDF this month offered to build four to six nuclear reactors in Poland, with a total installed capacity of 6.6-9.9 GW, according to a press release by the French company.

Pawel Soloch, the head of the National Security Bureau, said the offer was discussed during a meeting in Paris on Wednesday between Andrzej Duda, the Polish president, and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.

"There was a declaration on our part about the readiness to consider the French proposal, to appreciate the fact that the French proposal has a European dimension," said Soloch, who accompanied Duda in Paris.

"Since this topic was discussed at such a high level, it shows that we take the French proposal seriously, remembering that we have signed a cooperation deal in this area with the United States and this agreement is being implemented," he added.

According to the Rzeczpospolita daily, EDF, a French energy company, would like to build Poland's first nuclear plant entirely on its own and could support the project financially.

The cost of the six planned reactors would come to EUR 48.5 billion, according to the news service Business Insider.

The business newspaper Puls Biznesu, reported that EDF CEO Jean-Bernard Levy discussed his company's offer to Poland with Mateusz Morawiecki, the Polish prime minister, and local officials on October 16.

Under the Polish government's energy strategy, Poland plans to construct six nuclear power units. The first reactor should start working in 2033, generating some 1-1.6 GW of power. Subsequent reactors would be constructed every two to three years.

The Polish government expects its partner in the nuclear programme to take a 49-percent stake in a SPV, to provide adequate financing and participate not only in the construction but also in the operation of the nuclear power plants.

Poland has already signed an inter-governmental agreement with the US under which American companies are to submit their offers next year. South Korea is also interested in the Polish nuclear project.