Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) and the Bechtel-Westinghouse consortium have agreed the main commercial terms of the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract for Poland’s first nuclear power plant in Choczewo, Pomerania. The agreement covers three Westinghouse AP1000 reactors totaling 3,750 MWe, with PEJ targeting first electricity in 2036 and both sides aiming to conclude negotiations by the end of 2026.
PEJ is a special purpose vehicle owned by the Polish State Treasury, and the company handed the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site to Bechtel in August. PEJ says the three units could supply more than 12 million Polish households and cut power sector CO2 emissions by about 39 percent. Moreover, the project is meant to reduce Poland’s reliance on coal, which energy think tank Ember puts at 51 percent of generation.
Coal dependence is also steering nuclear planning elsewhere on the Baltic Sea. In Estonia, where oil shale still supplies a large share of electricity, Fermi Energia is developing a 600 MWe plant of two GE Hitachi BWRX-300 units, first covered in CRO’s report on the small modular reactor plant planned in Estonia. Estonia’s parliament passed its Nuclear Energy and Safety Act in June 2026, with the law due to take effect in January 2027, while Fermi Energia signed a conditional agreement in May 2026 for the Madala property near Kunda. A construction permit application is planned for 2029, with the first unit targeted for 2035.
Poland Nuclear Power Plant EPC Terms Leave the Full Contract for Year End
The September 23 agreement settles the main commercial and legal issues but does not finalize the EPC contract. PEJ President Marek Woszczyk said the terms form the basis for detailed negotiations on the remaining points and contract exhibits.
Furthermore, Bechtel and Westinghouse are carrying experience from Plant Vogtle in Georgia, where they completed the first new nuclear units built in the United States in more than three decades. Bechtel says the second AP1000 unit there was built 30 percent more efficiently than the first.
The local supply chain is already taking shape. According to Bechtel, more than PLN 1 billion (about $250 million) in contracts has gone to Polish companies, including Budimex, Doraco, Unihouse, MSA Security and Barg M.B Gdańsk.
In addition, Bechtel reports nearly 200 Polish nationals on the project team, with 100 more in recruitment, and staff development agreements with three Polish universities. Bechtel executive Dena Volovar called the agreement “a vote of confidence in American nuclear technology and know-how.”
Poland Nuclear Power Plant Site Works Advance Ahead of Permits
PEJ is now in the second stage of preparatory work at Lubiatowo-Kopalino. The scope includes grading and leveling the site, upgrading drainage, building temporary roads and carrying out geological surveys.
Meanwhile, the licensing track continues. PEJ applied to Poland’s State Atomic Energy Agency for a nuclear construction license in March 2026, and it plans to apply for a building permit in 2027.
The schedule has lengthened compared with earlier guidance. Coverage of the European Commission’s 2025 state aid decision cited 2033 for commercial operation of the first reactor, whereas PEJ now points to first electricity reaching the grid in 2036.
The AP1000 is a Generation III+ design with fully passive safety systems. Together, the three units will deliver 3,750 MWe from a single coastal site.
Poland Nuclear Power Plant Financing Rests on EU Approved State Aid
Total investment is estimated at about €42 billion (about $47 billion), according to reporting on the Commission decision. The European Commission approved the state aid package in December 2025, which includes an equity injection of about €14 billion (about $16 billion) covering 30 percent of project costs and state guarantees on debt.
As a result, PEJ is planning for debt to cover roughly 70 percent of the cost. In early 2026, PEJ signed a first loan agreement with the US Export-Import Bank, which Westinghouse welcomed as the first phase of financing for engineering and environmental site work.
PEJ said the agreement followed a US EXIM letter of intent for $17.8 billion. Additionally, a second Polish plant using two APR1400 reactors from South Korea’s Kepco is planned in the Patnów-Konin region if financing can be secured.
Project Overview
- Project Name: Poland Nuclear Power Plant, Lubiatowo-Kopalino
- Developer and Owner: PEJ, wholly owned by the Polish State Treasury
- Location: Lubiatowo-Kopalino site, Choczewo commune, Pomerania, Poland
- Project Type: Three unit nuclear power plant
- Reactor Technology: Three Westinghouse AP1000 Generation III+ units
- Capacity: 3,750 MWe combined
- Project Value: About €42 billion (about $47 billion), estimated in reporting on the Commission state aid decision
- EPC Status: Main commercial terms agreed September 23, 2026, with the full contract targeted by the end of 2026
- Public Support: About €14 billion equity injection covering 30 percent of costs, plus state guarantees on debt, approved by the European Commission in December 2025
- Export Credit: US EXIM loan agreement signed in early 2026, following a $17.8 billion letter of intent
- Site Status: Site handed to Bechtel in August 2026, with second stage preparatory works underway
- Licensing: Construction license application filed March 2026, with a building permit application planned for 2027
- First Electricity: 2036, according to PEJ
- Local Content: More than PLN 1 billion (about $250 million) in contracts awarded to Polish companies
Project Team
Owner and Developer
- Developer and Owner: Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (official website not confirmed)
- Sole Shareholder: Polish State Treasury
EPC Consortium
- Engineering, Procurement and Construction: Bechtel
- Reactor Technology and Design: Westinghouse Electric Company
Polish Contractors
- Contractor: Budimex
- Contractor: Doraco (official website not confirmed)
- Contractor: Unihouse (official website not confirmed)
- Security Services: MSA Security (official website not confirmed)
- Contractor: Barg M.B Gdańsk (official website not confirmed)
Financiers and Regulators
- Export Credit Agency: US Export-Import Bank
- State Aid Approval: European Commission
- Nuclear Regulator: State Atomic Energy Agency of Poland (official website not confirmed)
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