The future site of Poland's first nuclear power plant in Pomerania. In February, PEJ completed the first stage of preparatory work on the site. (Photo: PEJ)
Westinghouse Electric Company’s plans to deploy its AP1000 reactor in Poland have taken an important step forward with a credit agreement between the Export-Import Bank of the United States (EXIM) and Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ). The agreement represents the first phase of financing to support the initial engineering and environmental site work needed before construction can begin on Poland’s first nuclear power plant, at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in the Choczewo municipality of Pomerania.
With this financing agreement in place, the Westinghouse-Bechtel consortium that is gearing up to perform the engineering work for a three-unit power plant will be able to support both American and Polish jobs in the facility’s construction and operation. The target date for commercial operation of the first reactor is 2033.
Making the project a reality: Dan Lipman, Westinghouse’s president for global business initiatives, noted that the credit agreement is a “first milestone in helping PEJ secure financing for one of Poland’s largest energy investments, setting the stage for additional financing through EXIM. Westinghouse appreciates the close cooperation we have with EXIM and look[s] forward to further collaboration in helping make the Polish AP1000 project a reality.”
There are currently six operating AP1000 units (Vogtle-3 and -4 in the United States, as well as Sanmen-1 and -2 and Haiyang-1 and -2 in China). Several more units using the AP1000 design are under construction in China.
AP1000 operator training: To prepare for future European deployments, Westinghouse has opened an AP1000 Training Academy in Madrid, Spain. The academy features a full-size control room simulator in which future operators can be trained. Ironically, Spain has no plans to site the AP1000—but it does have five Westinghouse-designed reactors that all began operating in the 1980s.
In addition to the training center in Spain, Westinghouse also provides AP1000 operator training at its facilities in Rock Hill, S.C., and Cranberry Township, Pa.
-3 2x1.jpg)
.svg)