Polish energy policy for next two decades adoptedNuclear NewsPower & OperationsFebruary 4, 2021, 2:59PM|Nuclear News StaffPoland’s Council of Ministers has approved a long-term energy policy that emphasizes clean forms of energy, including nuclear.On February 2, the country’s Ministry of Climate and Environment announced the official adoption of Energy Policy of Poland until 2040 (PEP2040), originally published in draft form in November 2018 and revised the following year. The full text of PEP2040 has not been published at this writing, but an 18-page abstract can be accessed online.In its announcement, the ministry described PEP2040 as “a clear vision of Poland’s energy transformation strategy” and “a compass for entrepreneurs, local governments, and citizens in the transformation of the Polish economy toward low emission.” By 2040, the document states, more than half of Poland’s installed capacity will be zero-emission sources, adding that both offshore wind energy and nuclear energy “will play a special role” in reaching that goal.Nuclear’s role: PEP2040 contains eight specific objectives, one of which is the implementation of nuclear power. (The other seven are the optimal use of Poland’s own energy sources; development of electricity generation and network infrastructure; diversification of supplies and expansion of the network infrastructure of natural gas, crude oil, and liquid fuels; development of energy markets; development of renewable energy sources; development of district heating and cogeneration; and improvement of energy efficiency.)According to the document, Poland will launch its first nuclear power reactor in 2033, with a capacity of 1 to 1.6 GW. Additional units are to be “implemented” every two to three years after that. The full nuclear program envisions the construction of six units by 2043.PEP2040 also notes the potential for using high-temperature reactors, “mainly as a source of technological heat for industry.”Costars: The new policy calls for renewables to provide at least 23 percent of final energy consumption by 2030, with wind farms generating 5.9 GW of power by 2030 and 11 GW by 2040. The contribution from coal—by far Poland’s primary source of electricity generation—will remain prominent but substantially less so, dropping from its 70-plus percent share in 2020 to no more than 56 percent by 2030.Tags:cogenerationdistrict heatingenergy policy of poland until 2040high-temperature reactorpolandrenewable energyShare:LinkedInTwitterFacebook
Closing Duane Arnold puts Iowa at a disadvantageOsterbergAn op-ed published in The Gazette, a Cedar Rapids, Iowa–based newspaper, laments the early closure of the Duane Arnold nuclear power plant in 2020. Author David Osterberg, a former Iowa state legislator, contrasts what happened in Iowa with Illinois and three other states, whose governments "decided that heading off climate damage and the loss of good union jobs was worth keeping nuclear plants there alive." The economic calculation in Duane Arnold's case treated its electricity the same as that from coal or natural gas plants. However, Osterberg states that “when it comes to global warming and local air pollution, they aren’t the same.”Go to Article
Ex-Im Bank, Poland sign MOU on U.S. energy investmentPolish Minister of Climate and Environment Michał Kurtyka (left) and Ex-Im Chairman Kimberly Reed sign an MOU on U.S. energy investment in Poland on December 11. Photo: EXIMIn another sign of U.S. interest in helping Poland develop a civil nuclear power program, the Export-Import Bank of the United States announced last week that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Polish government to promote U.S. energy investment in the Central European nation. (For an earlier agreement, see here.)The MOU was signed in Warsaw on December 11 by Ex-Im president and chairman, Kimberly A. Reed, and Poland’s minister of climate and environment, Michał Kurtyka, during Reed’s three-day visit to Poland.The Ex-Im: As the official export credit agency of the United States, Ex-Im provides loans, loan guarantees, and insurance to foreign customers purchasing U.S. exports.The MOU particulars: The MOU calls for Ex-Im and Poland to “explore and identify potential opportunities for Ex-Im financing and to work together to promote business development opportunities related to strategic energy projects and programs,” according to Ex-Im’s announcement. The agreement includes, but is not limited to, support for projects in nuclear energy, in particular in support of strategic projects under Poland’s nuclear power program, low- and zero-emission technologies, clean energy innovation, and critical energy infrastructure, including cybersecurity solutions.Go to Article
U.S., Bulgaria ink civil nuclear MOUBulgaria’s Kozloduy nuclear plant. Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Gogo89873The United States in the past few weeks has signed civil nuclear agreements with Romania and Poland, and now a third European nation can be added to the list: Bulgaria.Go to Article
Nuclear cogeneration concept gets royal treatment in new reportThe future of nuclear energy is in cogeneration, according to a policy briefing released on October 7 by the United Kingdom’s Royal Society. (The equivalent of the United States’ National Academy of Sciences, the Royal Society, founded in 1660, is the oldest scientific institution in continuous existence.)Cogeneration, the briefing explains, occurs when the heat produced by a nuclear power plant is used not only to generate electricity, but also to meet such energy demands as domestic heating and hydrogen production. It also allows a plant to be used more flexibly, switching between electricity generation and cogeneration applications.Go to Article
U.S. takes next step in support of Poland’s nuclear visionPompeoMorawieckiWhile the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement grabbed more attention, it was not the only U.S.-Poland pact inked in Warsaw last week. The two countries also initialed a draft bilateral agreement to cooperate in the development of Poland’s civil nuclear power program, according to the State Department. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on August 15 to discuss the partnership, in addition to other matters including the improvement of regional energy and infrastructure through the Three Seas Initiative, the department said.Go to Article
U.S., Poland to talk nuclear later this weekDudaEnergy, including nuclear energy, will be among the topics discussed at a June 24 meeting in Washington between President Donald Trump and Polish President Andrzej Duda, according to remarks by Duda at a June 18 news conference. “We will definitely talk about cooperation between Polish companies and Polish authorities, and companies and authorities from the United States, over conventional nuclear energy and its use,” he said. The meeting will take place just days before Poland’s June 28 presidential election.Go to Article
U.S. and Polish officials continue strategic talksThe third Strategic Dialogue on Energy between government officials from Poland and the United States was held on February 26 as a way to extend the nations’ advanced nuclear energy cooperation. U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette met with Piotr Naimski, Poland’s secretary of state in the chancellery of the prime minister and plenipotentiary for strategic energy infrastructure, and Poland’s Minister of Climate Michal Kurtyka at the Department of Energy headquarters in Washington, D.C. In a DOE press release, Brouillette acknowledged the U.S. nuclear industry’s continued interest in providing clean, reliable, and resilient nuclear energy to Poland as a means to strengthen their energy security. In a post on Twitter, Kurtyka described the meeting as “fruitful.”Go to Article
ANS Winter Meeting 2015: Nuclear Energy and GHG Emissions Taishan EPR under construction; courtesy CGN•Written on location at the ANS Winter Meeting by Will DavisGo to Article
Europe: A Textbook Case of How NOT to Go About Emissions Reductions Rod Adams posted a good article on this site about the situation in Europe with respect to CO2 emissions reductions and the electricity market in general. Here, I'll share my own, additional perspectives.Go to Article
European renewable energy subsidies under fire from major power generatorsThe leaders of electric power companies owning half of Europe's generating capacity have joined together to inform the European Union that its policies are leading to a dangerously unstable power grid. According to GDF Suez CEO Gerard Mestrallet,Go to Article