Poland to seek EU approval for state aid to build nuclear plant

(EurActiv, 22 Oct 2020) Poland will ask the European Commission to approve state aid for the construction of a nuclear power station, the minister responsible for energy infrastructure said on Thursday (22 October).

“It is impossible these days to build a nuclear power plan without state support,” Piotr Naimski told a news conference.

Poland generates most of its electricity from burning coal and sees nuclear energy as a way to help it reduce emissions as required by the European Union.

The country wants to build 6-9 gigawatts (GW) of nuclear energy capacity. It plans to build its first nuclear power plant by 2033, but has not yet worked out a financing scheme.

Earlier this week, Poland and the United States struck an agreement under which Warsaw will likely buy $18 billion in nuclear technology from US companies, the US energy department said.

Indeed, at the recent Three Seas summit in Talinn, a 30-year intergovernmental agreement between Washington and Warsaw was signed on future cooperation in the development of the Polish civil nuclear energy program.

Naimski said, however, that financial details for the new plant were not part of the deal and construction costs and funding were still subject to negotiations.

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EurActiv, 22 Oct 2020: Poland to seek EU approval for state aid to build nuclear plant