Poland's SGE and ZE Pak have agreed to establish a joint venture to develop a nuclear power plant in Pątnów which will feature up to six BWRX-300 small modular reactors.
SGE (previously Sythos Green Energy) has a number of potential projects under way across Europe - including in Poland, where a decision in principle has already been issued for a total of 26 BWRX-300 small modular reactors (SMRs), and in the UK where a proposal for a fleet of 14 of the SMRs across three sites is being considered under the UK's Advanced Nuclear Framework programme.
It is a co-investor in the standard design of GE Vernova Hitachi's BWRX-300. The proposed plant with six of the SMRs would have a capacity of 1,800 MWe.
The planned SGE–ZE PAK project will repurpose an existing coal plant, which is owned by ZE PAK, who said its "participation will consist of contributing rights to land currently owned by the company to the joint venture. In subsequent years, ZE PAK will have the option to remain in the project as a minority shareholder or sell its shares in the company managing the project to SGE, thus ending its involvement in the project".
Michał Sołowow, founder of SGE, said: "Today's agreement between SGE and ZE PAK lays a strong foundation for deploying six safe and efficient BWRX-300 reactors at Pątnów. This is one of the most strategically important locations in Poland's energy system. The existing coal-fired power plant will inevitably have to shut down, and without a reliable replacement, its closure could disrupt grid operations. Replacing coal-fired generation with nuclear power based on SMR technology will bring Poland's energy system into the 21st century."
Piotr Żak, President of ZE PAK, said: "This agreement represents a major opportunity for the Konin area and its residents. Building a nuclear power plant on the site of our former coal operations would be a model example of Poland’s energy transition. The energy and fuel crises of recent years have made one thing clear: Poland needs reliable, domestic sources of electricity. The six SMR reactors planned for the ZE PAK site can provide exactly that."
ZE PAK said that "recent experience has shown that the construction of large-scale nuclear reactors should be a state-owned enterprise, while SMR technology can be developed by private entities such as SGE".
The first BWRX-300 is currently under construction in Canada, the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a construction permit for the first BWRX-300 reactor at the Clinch River site in Tennessee, and the SMR has also been selected for projects being developed by SaskPower in Canada, Blue Energy in the USA, and Studsvik in Sweden.