Another step towards a Polish nuclear power plant. Work on the construction site is entering a new phase.

• The aim of the conducted research was to conduct a detailed examination of the hydrogeological and geological-engineering conditions in the designated land part of the Lubiatowo-Kopalino location.
• The existing conditions indicate the presence of a suitable ground for the foundation of a nuclear power plant - it is only necessary for the contractor to select the appropriate technological solutions.
• The data collected during the research will now be used to prepare a location report and a preliminary safety report as documents submitted together with the application for a permit to build the first nuclear power plant in Poland.

The schedule of work on the construction site of the first Polish nuclear power plant has recently come under the scrutiny of the parliamentary subcommittee for energy transformation, as reported by the WNP portal.

The project is being implemented according to plan. There are no delays in the schedule, assured government plenipotentiary Wojciech Wrochna and the new president of Polish Nuclear Power Plants, Marek Woszczyk.

Now, the consortium of American companies Westinghouse and Bechtel , which is carrying out the work in Choczewo, confirms these declarations by announcing the completion of the first stage of in-depth geological research at the construction site, which allows for the transition to the next phases of the project.

An important milestone in the construction of the first Polish nuclear power plant

" This is a significant milestone for the entire investment, in which we are leveraging our over 70 years of experience in nuclear power plant construction. We have gained crucial knowledge of the subsoil and ground conditions at the planned construction site, allowing us to appropriately design, among other things, the foundations for the nuclear islands," says Leszek Hołda, CEO of Bechtel Polska , quoted in the press release.

Now we are facing the next stages of geological research, the results of which will be used to design supporting infrastructure, such as pipelines and administrative facilities, he adds.

Work in this first stage, called Geo 1, included drilling directly beneath each of the three planned nuclear islands and other key construction structures in the center of the planned site of the power plant designed and built by the Bechtel-Westinghouse consortium, whose investor is Polish Nuclear Power Plants.

"We've completed a stage that's a prelude to much more advanced work that will launch the next phase of our project in Pomerania, including further geological work planned for a larger investment area. The results of the geological analyses already completed, as well as their organization, were a crucial moment for both Bechtel and PEJ. Thanks to them, appropriate engineering solutions will be selected to ensure the plant's safe operation. We passed this test, and more await us, for which we are already preparing with full responsibility," says Piotr Piela, Vice President of the Management Board of Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe.

22 kilometers of drilling, 10,000 samples, and thousands of laboratory tests

Over 30 drilling rigs were used during this stage of the work, allowing teams of experts from the general contractor, the American company Bechtel, to conduct extensive field investigations. These included a series of geotechnical probes (dynamic SPT - Standard Penetration Test) and static CPT - Cone Penetration Test) to determine the physical and mechanical properties of the soil, as well as surface, geophysical, and hydrogeological surveys, and a number of laboratory tests on soil samples.

The total length of drilled wells was approximately 22 kilometers. For key infrastructure elements, including reactors and auxiliary buildings, the deepest drillings reached over 200 meters. In total, over 10,000 samples were collected (from soil cores weighing several kilograms to small samples weighing 100 grams), and over 7,000 laboratory tests were conducted. The collected research material was sent to accredited laboratories in Pomerania, Warsaw, Upper Silesia, the United States, Belgium, and Germany.

As part of the hydrogeological works , 122 hydrogeological boreholes were also drilled, the data from which will be used to create a hydrogeological model of the area, design the excavations and their drainage, as well as analyze the chemical composition of groundwater.

The terrain is suitable for nuclear construction. It's time for in-depth geological research.

According to the description of the survey results, the dominant components in the ground beneath the future power plant are clay and sand. No solid rocks were found at the depth of the Geo1 drilling (a common occurrence in investments in other countries, such as the USA or Scandinavia). During the work, the teams encountered only large boulders in the boreholes, localized zones of hydrogen sulfide resulting from the decomposition of shallow peat layers, and an artesian aquifer.

The existing conditions indicate the presence of a suitable base for the foundation of a nuclear power plant – it is only necessary for the contractor to select the appropriate technological solutions.

Preliminary studies of the remaining infrastructure, including the conventional section, internal roads, and administrative facilities, will be conducted during the second phase of the study, scheduled for 2026, after receiving administrative approvals. These studies will cover a larger area and will be crucial for commencing preparatory work for the construction of a nuclear power plant in the Choczewo commune.

However, this requires certain changes in the law, such as the adoption of a law enabling the obtaining of a permit for preliminary construction works, necessary to obtain the appropriate building permits and then commence the actual works.

As PEJ representatives explained during a recent parliamentary subcommittee, continuing in-depth research requires, among other things, clearing another 300 hectares of forest. All this is necessary to precisely define the design of the facility to be built. Without the appropriate permit, which is currently lacking in Polish law, such preliminary work cannot begin.

Another necessary legislative change is the consent to use documentation in English when submitting an application for a building permit.

- This is the language commonly used in nuclear energy, while Polish regulations require documentation in Polish and that is why we are talking to the PAA to change this legal status - said Marek Woszczyk, president of PEJ , pointing out that preparing the documentation for translation would most likely ruin the entire schedule.

The preliminary risk analysis report alone is several thousand pages long. Including appendices and documents referenced by the investor in the report, it can reach up to 300,000 pages. Therefore, the legislative change allowing documents in English is crucial.

In practice, to achieve the next milestones of the project, we are carrying out several hundred activities in parallel, said Marek Woszczyk in the Sejm.

Negotiations with the European Commission regarding state aid for the Polish project to build a nuclear power plant are also underway in Brussels.

As Wojciech Wrochna, the government’s minister-plenipotentiary for strategic energy infrastructure, who personally participates in talks with EU officials, assured during the aforementioned subcommittee, the level of advancement of the negotiations, the ongoing discussions, and the signals reaching the government from Brussels allow us to confidently look forward to obtaining consent within the assumed deadline.

Let us recall that according to the government's schedule, this is to happen this year.

"I am aware that the planned deadline for the state aid notification will likely be a world record for this type of procedure at the European Commission for a nuclear project. However, the team at the plenipotentiary's office, the ministry, and the company are working at top speed, constantly responding to the EC's questions. That's why we are optimistic and believe we will be able to obtain this approval on time," concluded Wojciech Wrochna.

So what will the next milestones of the nuclear project in Poland ultimately look like?

The investor, PEJ, plans to submit a building permit application in 2027 and begin work in 2028. This will be the year concrete is poured for the first reactor, one of the most important milestones in this type of investment. The next seven years will involve the construction of additional reactors, preferably in parallel, with the ambition that the first reactor will be completed in 2035.

- In this way, the first energy from the Polish nuclear power plant is to flow in 2036 , and the entire investment could be put into operation in 2038 - Marek Woszczyk, president of PEJ, enumerated during the subcommittee.

In his opinion, this is a feasible schedule, although it depends not only on the actions of the company, but also on the partners and institutions that carry out their tasks independently.