Poland's nuclear power programme 'to go ahead'

Prime Minister Donald Tusk: photo - PAP/Pawel Supernak

Tusk's comments are at odds with remarks made last month by Treasury Minister Mikolaj Budzanowski, who had claimed that the government could no longer support the venture owing to the economic slowdown.

The first wing of the power plant, which is due to be built at an as of yet unconfirmed location on the Baltic coast, was supposed to be up and running in 2023.

Speaking to journalists yesterday prior to a meeting on energy strategies with Minister Budzanowski and Minister of the Economy and Deputy Prime Minister Janusz Piechocinski, Tusk said that “nuclear power must have its place” and that “there is no reasonable alternative to this technology,” as cited by the Polish Press Agency (PAP).

Yesterday's meeting was also attended by Krzysztof Kilian, chairman of Polska Grupa Energetyczna SA (PGE), Poland's state-owned power company, a key investor in the project.

“We are expecting a vision from both government agencies and PGE which will provide a responsible offer for Poland on the safest and most up to date nuclear technology,” Tusk said.

The investment in nuclear power is part of a wider scheme - taking in the exploitation of shale gas resources - that seeks to make Poland less dependent on Russian energy, namely gas.

However, Tusk noted that there was no need for “undue haste, as our energy security over the next 10 to 12 years is not dependent on the creation of a nuclear power plant.”

Over the last months, PGE has been engaged in a campaign aimed at convincing residents living near three prospective sites on the Baltic coast (Zarnowiec , Gaski, Choczewo) that the project is a positive investment.

Another site was dropped last year when the inhabitants of Mielno voted overwhelmingly against the idea in a local referendum (94 percent were opposed to the construction proposal). (nh)