UPDATE - Poland's First NPP To Be Built By US Firm Westinghouse - Prime Minister

WARSAW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 03rd November, 2022) The Polish government has chosen US electric company Westinghouse for the construction of the first nuclear power plant (NPP) in the country due to the firm's proven and advanced technology, Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said on Wednesday.

"I have to inform (you) with great pleasure that after four-five years of very intensive work, we have decided to choose US technology. This is technology ... protected from all threats. The resolution adopted by the Council of Ministers refers, among other things, to the choice of a partner � US company Westinghouse, which has a proven, advanced technology," Morawiecki told reporters.

The Polish prime minister specified that the country's first NPP would be built in "a place most suitable for this" � in Poland's northern region, with access to water and energy infrastructure. The facility will consist of three power units, according to Polish Minister of Climate and Environment Anna Moskwa.

Meanwhile, the NPP's construction will cost Warsaw about $20 billion, Morawiecki said.

"There can be several means of financing. We have talked about them in detail at the Cabinet.

However, at this stage, financial support is needed for the first steps. And, certainly, there is such (support)," the Polish prime minister noted.

In total, Warsaw plans to build three NPPs in the country, Morawiecki said, adding that the second plant was expected to be constructed with the participation of South Korean company Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power (KHNP).

Later in the day, Moskwa said that Poland intends to get 30% of its electricity from those nuclear power plants.

"In total, there can be up to 15 GW in the energy mix, taking into account environmental conditions, geological and all the rest. At the same time, in the first program, with three localizations, we're expecting a 30% participation of nuclear energy in the energy mix," the minister told reporters.

Poland intends to equip its first NPP with pressurized water reactors in accordance with the country's nuclear power development program. The first block is scheduled to be launched in the Gdansk coast area in 2033. Subsequent units will be built every two to three years. Poland's nuclear program provides for the construction of six units in total with a capacity of up to 9 GW.