Poland's First 3,750 MW Nuclear Power Plant Applies for Preliminary Construction Permit

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 30, Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) formally submitted an application to the Pomeranian Voivodeship Governor for a preliminary construction permit for the country's first nuclear power plant, located at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in the Choczewo municipality. The project plans to build three Westinghouse AP1000 pressurized water reactors with a total installed capacity of 3,750 MW. This application covers earthworks in the reactor construction area, the cooling water system, and on-site infrastructure construction.

The scope of the application includes deep foundation pit excavation for the areas where the three future reactors will be located, sidewall support for the foundation pits, and groundwater seepage protection works. Supporting construction at the site also includes internal roads, rainwater and snowmelt collection and retention ponds, and the construction of a tunnel boring machine (TBM) launch shaft.

The onshore portion of the nuclear power plant's cooling system is also included in the permit application, involving seawater intake and discharge pipelines. According to the engineering plan, the intake and discharge channels will cross the beach and the Baltic Sea seabed using trenchless methods. Poland's National Atomic Energy Agency previously classified this circulating water system as a facility with no significant impact on nuclear safety and radiation protection, so the related non-nuclear construction works can be implemented under the preliminary construction permit procedure.

This application was submitted in accordance with Polish legislation on the construction of nuclear energy facilities amended on July 3, 2026. The law introduces a preliminary construction permit mechanism, allowing certain non-nuclear facility construction to proceed ahead of the main construction permit procedure for the nuclear power plant.

Currently, phase two preparatory works are underway at the nuclear power plant site, with Bechtel of the United States responsible for enhanced onshore and offshore geological surveys. The owner plans to submit the formal construction permit application for the nuclear power plant in 2027, with the first unit scheduled to enter commercial operation in 2036.