Lessons from Poland: It will soon be home to its first small modular reactor

LET'S follow Poland and resurrect our pioneering spirit

- BISMARK TYOBEKA

It is not often that I look at other countries with envy, but last week I was thoroughly green with envy because of a city that most of us have never heard of. The beautiful and ancient city of Włocławek in Poland will soon be home to that country’s first small modular reactor.

Poland's state-controlled energy utility, Orlen (PKN Orlen), in conjunction with the privately owned Synthos Green Energy (OSGE) - collectively known as Orlen Synthos Green Energy - has agreed on an operating model that shows how, with synergy, joint ambition between the public and private sectors, and a shared appreciation of the long-term benefits of nuclear energy, major sustainable milestones can be achieved.

The site-selection decision follows a yearlong negotiation that secured OSGE exclusive access in Poland to the BWRX-300 design developed by GE Vernova Hitachi Nuclear Energy, a reactor praised for its passive safety features and potential for rapid deployment. This will be the first of its kind in Europe.

Nor does the Polish nuclear endeavour stop there. OSGE plans to have at least two SMRs running by 2035, with a combined capacity of 0.6 gigawatts.