Under the agreement, GEH will help PGE study the feasibility of building up to four reactors based on one of GEH’s reactor designs: the 1,350MWe ABWR or the 1,520MWe ESBWR.
GEH’s Generation III+ ESBWR is said to be an advanced passive safety and natural circulation reactor design. The ESBWR is progressing in the design certification process of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC). Poland’s first nuclear reactor is targeted for completion in 2020.
Tomasz Zadroga, management board president of PGE, said: “As we prepare to build Poland’s first commercial nuclear power plants, we are pleased that GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy is offering us their expertise. We are committed to carefully choosing a reactor technology that meets our economic and technical priorities.”
Danny Roderick, senior vice president of GEH, said: “GE has been actively engaged in coal, gas, biogas and wind projects in Poland, and we understand the country’s unique circumstances. PGE’s move to develop a nuclear power project is a positive step toward improved energy security and reducing carbon emissions in Poland – two strategic priorities for the country.”
An ESBWR or ABWR would avoid annual emissions equivalent to approximately 1.3 million cars. The nuclear alliance formed by GE and Hitachi continues to apply the latest modular construction techniques in building nuclear power plants.
Poland plans to build two nuclear power plants to help diversify its energy production, which relies heavily on coal-based technologies. European Union (EU) member states have agreed to reduce EU greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20% below 1990 levels by 2020. Nuclear energy is an option because it generates electricity with near-zero greenhouse gas emissions.
