Polish president signs bill on state aid for nuclear plant
President Andrzej Duda has signed a bill that designates funds from the national budget for the construction of Poland's inaugural nuclear plant, according to a statement released by his office on Tuesday.
Under the bill, the state-owned entity Polskie Elektrownie Jadrowe (PEJ) which serves as the primary investor and operator of the project, is set to receive PLN 60.2 billion (EUR 14.45 bln) in public funding in the form of monetary contributions to its founding capital from 2025 to 2030. Additionally, the legislation permits the government to support PEJ via Treasury securities.
The European Commission (EC) has yet to grant approval for the allocation of these funds to PEJ. In December 2024, the EC initiated a formal investigation to determine whether the public funding for Poland's nuclear facility complies with the European Union's state aid regulations.
The current version of the Polish Nuclear Power Programme from 2020, envisages the construction of two nuclear power plants with a total capacity of 6-9 GW, wholly owned by PEJ as the principal investor and operator. The previous government selected the US Westinghouse-Bechtel consortium as a partner for the first plant, which is slated to be built at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in the northern Pomorskie province.
The government intends for 30 percent of the construction expenses to be covered by the investor's own resources, including state aid, while the remaining 70 percent will be financed through loans from financial institutions.
Recent statements from government officials indicate that construction of the first reactor is expected to commence in 2028, with commercial operations for the first unit anticipated to begin in 2036. (PAP)
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