After nearly three weeks of waiting, the Polish Ministry of Energy has released the updated Program of Polish Nuclear Power (PPEJ) for 2026. The document confirms a delay in the first reactor’s commercial operation to 2036 and introduces a new financing model with 30 percent state equity and 70 percent debt. It also formalises a competitive process for a second nuclear plant, with a technology partner to be selected in 2027.
The previous version of the PPEJ dated back to 2020. Since then, the government has shifted from expecting the technology supplier to part-finance the project to a model in which the state provides the equity and relies on debt financing. The European Commission has already approved the use of a two-way contract for difference for the first nuclear power plant in Choczewo, in the Lubiatowo-Kopalino area.
The updated strategy also clarifies that the first reactor will start commercial operations no sooner than 2036 – three years later than initially planned. The target for local content in the first unit has been set at 40 percent, and Westinghouse, the chosen technology provider for the Choczewo plant, has already identified seven Polish companies likely to produce key reactor components.
Second nuclear plant: technology partner selection and location
The PPEJ confirms that a competitive dialogue for a second large-scale nuclear plant was launched in July 2025. Invitations were sent to governments of France, Canada, South Korea and the United States. However, only entities from France (EDF with EPR), Canada (AtkinsRéalis with Candu) and the United States (Westinghouse with AP1000) entered the dialogue.
– Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power did not join the competitive dialogue – reads the latest PPEJ. The absence of KHNP is significant, as earlier unofficial reports suggested Westinghouse’s settlement with KHNP included a condition that South Korea’s nuclear vendor would not expand into the European market. No official confirmation has been made, but the facts speak for themselves.
The preferred locations for the second plant remain Bełchatów (near Rogowiec, where the coal-fired power plant operates) and Konin (on the site of former ZE PAK power plants). The selection of the final location is now scheduled for 2028 – one year after the technology partner is chosen. The so-called “first nuclear concrete” is planned for 2032, with the first reactor due to start commercial operation in 2040 and the second in 2041.
Financing, local content and the role of SMRs
For the second nuclear plant, the state intends to mobilise private capital. The PPEJ even mentions a cooperative model that could involve end consumers in financing the project. The possibility of increasing the number of reactors beyond two at the second site is also being considered – the current analyses include an assessment of each location’s capacity for adding more units.
Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are not included in the updated PPEJ. The document acknowledges their potential, especially for district heating, but says they will be covered by a separate “Roadmap for SMRs in Poland.” The current strategy focuses solely on large-scale Generation III+ reactors with a minimum output of 700 MWe per unit. This effectively rules out the BWRX-300 (300 MWe) offered by Orlen Synthos Green Energy for the second location.
The overall goal remains unchanged: Poland aims to have between 6 and 9 GW of nuclear capacity. The PPEJ is seen as a consolidation of already known facts rather than a revolution – it finally puts on paper the decisions made in recent years and provides a clearer path for the second nuclear investment.
Źródło: wnp.pl, Fot. Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe / materiały prasowe
