Poland’s updated nuclear energy program (PPEJ) does not include small modular reactors (SMRs). Deputy Energy Minister Wojciech Wrochna gave two reasons for this decision, citing regulatory complexity and the private nature of SMR investments.
The Ministry of Energy recently completed work on updating the Polish Nuclear Power Program (PPEJ). Many energy market observers were surprised that the strategic document does not explicitly mention SMR technology. Over the past year, government officials – including Prime Minister Donald Tusk – had signaled strong support for small reactors, with state-controlled Orlen playing a leading role through its joint venture Orlen Synthos Green Energy.
Despite this political backing, the updated PPEJ leaves SMRs out. Instead, a separate roadmap for small reactors is expected by the end of June. According to Wrochna, the decision was pragmatic and based on two key arguments.
Regulatory roadblocks and project delays
The first reason concerns the legal and procedural requirements that would be triggered if SMRs were included in the PPEJ. The document is classified as a “functional-systemic” strategy, meaning its update requires site analyses and a transboundary environmental impact assessment for each planned facility.
– Effect of this could be extending the implementation and adoption of the Polish Nuclear Power Program by many years – Wrochna said. – That would be a new document, not an update.
Adding SMR projects to the PPEJ would force the government to carry out location studies and cross-border consultations, which could stall the entire nuclear strategy. Keeping small reactors in a separate roadmap avoids these procedural hurdles and allows the main program to proceed without delay.
Private investment, public strategy
The second reason is rooted in the different roles of the state and private business. The PPEJ defines tasks for the government in building large-scale nuclear power plants. SMRs, by contrast, are being developed as commercial projects by private investors.
– These are private investors, private entrepreneurs carrying out such investments – dodał wiceminister. – Therefore, it is they who are to choose the location. If they see potential for heat extraction in Warsaw, why not? If there is Włocławek and demand for energy and process steam, let it be implemented there. This is supposed to be a bottom-up initiative.
Wrochna emphasized that the state’s role in SMR development is not to impose locations or steer the program from above, but to create a regulatory framework that enables private initiatives. The upcoming SMR roadmap will detail how the government intends to support these projects without integrating them into the central nuclear strategy.
Źródło: WNP.PL, Fot. Albert Zawada / PAP
