The government wants to provide PLN 60 billion for the construction of a Polish nuclear power plant

All right. PLN 60 billion of public support to PEJ, the investor of the first nuclear power plant, is to be provided in a legislative amendment, and the assumptions about it were published on Monday in the list of legislative work and the program of the Council of Ministers. The government plans to accept the project in the fourth quarter of this year.

According to the assumptions, Polskie Elektroownie Jądrowe (PEJ) will receive public support for the preparation and implementation of the investment – the construction of the first nuclear power plant, with a budget expenditure limit of PLN 60 billion. The support will be provided in the form of an increase in PEJ’s share capital through a cash grant. It is also possible to increase share capital by making a non-cash contribution – Treasury Department securities. Public support for PEJ will be possible only after the European Commission has given approval for state aid. The share capital of PEJ is currently slightly less than PLN 3 billion.

The draft amendment to the Act on the preparation and implementation of investments in nuclear energy facilities and accompanying investments is to specify the method for applying for an increase in share capital, making decisions regarding the form of re -capitalisation, the organizations involved in the process of increasing the share capital and the annual limits on expenditure from the state budget to contribute money. According to the government’s full power office for strategic energy infrastructure, support would be provided in the years 2025-2030.

In addition, the assumptions provide that in the event of recapitalization in the form of bonds, the end of the state budget expenditure for the grant of money will be reduced accordingly. The decision to recapitalize is to be made by the Minister of Finance, at the request of the Government’s Full Power for Strategic Energy Infrastructure.

“Energy transformation is a fundamental challenge for our economy. The process of decarbonization, which has been spent in recent years, is possible especially on the basis of renewable energy sources and the development of nuclear energy. We are systematically implementing it,” said Finance Minister Andrzej Domański, who was named in the announcement by the Government’s Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure.

On Monday, assumptions for another amendment to the Act on the preparation and implementation of investments in nuclear power facilities were also on the work list. They intend to increase the ability to organize investments. They provide for the possibility of issuing a building permit for a part of the construction project that cannot operate independently, and for the investor to obtain a building permit for preliminary construction work.

In the opinion of Maciej Bando, the representative, the change regarding preliminary construction work will significantly improve the construction process of the first nuclear power plant. “We are taking action to ensure that stable, emission-free electricity is available to the Poles at the scheduled time while maintaining safety standards,” Bando emphasized.

The current version of the Polish Nuclear Power Program (PPEJ) from 2020 assumes the construction of two nuclear power plants with a total capacity of 6-9 GW, with 100% ownership. to the State Treasury, Polskie Elektroownie Jądrowe as investor and operator. The previous government identified the Westinghouse-Bechtel consortium as a partner for the first power plant. It is to be built in the Lubiatowo-Kopalino area in Pomerania. The Ministry of Climate announced that the PPEJ will be updated later this year.

According to the latest reports from the Government’s Full Power for Strategic Energy Infrastructure, the outflow is of the same name. the first nuclear concrete for the first reactor is to be made in 2028, and the government knows from the contractor that it will take seven years from that moment to complete the construction process (PAP).

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