Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) has commissioned Westinghouse Electric Company to begin procuring long-lead items (LLIs) for the first AP1000® unit of the Lubiatowo-Kopalino nuclear power plant project. This is one of the most important stages in preparing for the start of construction and ensuring that the project is completed on schedule.

“This is an extremely important moment for the entire project. Securing long-lead items is of direct significance for the construction schedule of Poland’s first nuclear power plant. We want energy from the first reactor to reach our power outlets in 2036. This is a strategic project by the Polish government that will meet our needs for decades to come, becoming one of the cornerstones of our country’s energy security,” said Miłosz Motyka, Minister of Energy.

“Thanks to the agreement reached in September between PEJ and the Consortium on the main commercial terms of the EPC contract, we are now ready to take the next step, namely begin the process of ordering long-lead items. We adopted this approach in order to give ourselves time for further detailed negotiations on the EPC contract, without the pressure that the lack of an LLI order would affect the project schedule. A sound contract that appropriately balances liability and establishes cooperation mechanisms for the construction phase is key to the project’s future success,” said Wojciech Wrochna, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Energy and the Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure.

The scope of orders covers six key components of the nuclear island, including the reactor containment vessel and its associated structural modules. LLIs are among the most technologically advanced and complex components of a nuclear power plant, the production and delivery of which requires many years and the involvement of specialized suppliers that meet the highest quality and safety standards.

“In nuclear projects, proper preparation and effective time management are crucial. We have already ordered the first long-lead items for which Bechtel is responsible, and we are now beginning this process for Westinghouse, which is responsible for the nuclear portion of the power plant in the broadest sense. In this way, we safeguard not only the project schedule but also its budget. The components we order account for a significant part of our costs, so starting the process well in advance allows us to better control our expenses in the coming years,” said Marek Woszczyk, President of the Management Board of Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe.

Beginning the procurement process of long-lead items early is a common practice in nuclear projects around the world. It helps ensure the availability of production capacity, minimizes the risk of delays and supports the timely completion of projects. The scope of work includes preparing technical documentation, quality and supervision plans, selecting and contracting suppliers, as well as placing orders for the materials needed to begin production. The production and delivery of finished components to the construction site will be carried out as part of a subsequent order that PEJ plans to issue under the contract for the construction of the power plant.

“The ordering of long-lead items is a key milestone for this important project and helps to ensure it remains on schedule. Even more importantly, this is a critical first step for Polish industry to furnish nuclear-grade components for the plant and maximize its participation in Poland and in future AP1000 projects in Europe,” said Dan Lipman, President of Global Business Initiatives, Westinghouse.

The initiation of the procurement process for components with long-lead times is part of the current Engineering Development Agreement between PEJ and the Westinghouse-Bechtel consortium. PEJ and Westinghouse expect that Polish companies will bid for the contracts, provided they successfully complete the process of obtaining the ASME NQA-1 international quality standard. The high safety standards in the nuclear industry require that companies involved in the most specialized work meet stringent technical and quality requirements. This will be another step toward building domestic capabilities and create additional export opportunities for Polish industry to enter the global AP1000 technology supply chain.

The procurement of components with long-lead times is a crucial step in the preparations for the construction of Poland’s first nuclear power plant. The commissioning of the first unit at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site is scheduled for 2036. The project will be one of the cornerstones of the national energy system, providing a stable, zero-emission source of energy for Poland.

About Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe

Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe sp. z o.o. is a company responsible for activities including the preparation of the investment process and acting as the investor in the project to build Poland’s first nuclear power plant with a total capacity of 3.75 GWe based on safe, proven, large-scale generation III (+) pressurized water reactors (PWR), and its future operation. The Company also supports the government administration in activities aimed at the execution of the Polish Nuclear Power Programme and the development of a civil nuclear power program and the civil nuclear power sector in the Republic of Poland. For more information visit: www.pej.pl.

About Westinghouse

Westinghouse delivers nuclear energy the world needs to meet rising electricity demand, support growing economies, strengthen energy security and power millions of homes across five continents. The company designs and deploys advanced nuclear reactors, manufactures the fuel that powers them, maintains and modernizes operating plants and advances tomorrow’s breakthroughs. Founded in 1886, the company electrified the industrial economy and pioneered nuclear power with the first commercial pressurized water reactor in 1957. Today, Westinghouse technology powers 57% of the world’s nuclear power plants, maintains nearly two-thirds of the world’s nuclear fleet and fuels 40% of that fleet. As the global leader in deployment of nuclear power at scale, Westinghouse has one of the largest new build pipelines in the industry.

From nuclear’s first chapter to its next, Westinghouse turns possibility into power.

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