Poland needs to reduce its dependence on coal. Currently, almost 80% of the electricity produced by this European country comes from fossil energy sources, a figure that places it well above the 35.9% average that prevails in Europe. Besides, does not have nuclear power; Its commitment to photovoltaic installations is anecdotal (barely touching 1.4% of total electricity production) and its wind farms only produce a little more than 10% of the electricity it needs.
The challenge facing Poland is not trivial. This country is an important wagon on the European train, which prevents it from staying on the sidelines of the commitments that Europe has adopted in environmental matters. However, the Polish government has a plan. Its purpose is to develop its nuclear industry quickly and what is necessary to drastically reduce its dependence on fossil fuels in a short time. The problem is that it starts from scratch.
At this juncture, the Polish Administration has no choice but to count on the complicity of other European countries that they have much more experience in the field of nuclear energy, and one of the states in which it has set its sights is Spain. In fact, a meeting between Spanish and Polish companies is currently taking place in Madrid with the aim of establishing the links that are necessary to help Poland develop its nuclear industry.
Poland wants to start up its first nuclear power plant in 2033
The itinerary that the Polish government has set is ambitious. Its goal is for its first nuclear power plant to come into operation in 2033, so it will be necessary to start construction no later than 2026. This plant will be in Choczewo, a town of approximately 5,000 inhabitants located in the extreme north of the country, in the Baltic sea coast. When the first reactor is ready, more units will be put into operation with a periodicity of two or three years for each of them.
Poland needs to invest more than 30,000 million euros in the development of its nuclear industry
Ultimately, Poland’s plan is for its future nuclear facilities to be capable of providing 23% of the electricity it needs no later than 2040. And to achieve this, it needs to invest more than 30,000 million euros in the development of this industry. This is precisely the gateway for Spanish companies. What both countries are seeking is to cooperate so that Poland can carry out its strategy, and the Spanish companies that will contribute to this objective will receive, as is logical, a part of that money.
Curiously, we know some of the best located ones. At the end of 2019 we had the opportunity to visit the fuel rod factory that ENUSA Industrias Avanzadas has in Salamanca, and a few weeks later we were in one of the control room simulators that Tecnatom has developed in the Madrid town of San Sebastian de los Reyes. Ensa and Newtesol are other Spanish companies that have a lot of experience in the manufacture of equipment for nuclear power plants, and they will probably also participate in this project.
In a way, it is paradoxical that Poland is determined to forge technological and business links with Spain in the field of nuclear energy. For the moment, the Spanish Government maintains the itinerary set for the nuclear blackout, so that if everything continues its course, the last Spanish nuclear power plant that will remain active, that of Trillo, will cease in 2035. In any case, this plan in no way invalidates Spanish companies with experience in the nuclear sector. In all probability its activity will continue beyond 2035 even though all its clients are hosted abroad.