OSGE explores options for building modular reactors at six Polish sites

Polish company Orlen Synthos Green Energy (OSGE) has submitted an application for a decision in principle to build power plants based on the BWRX-300 reactor to Poland’s Ministry of Climate and Environment. New nuclear units are planned at six sites.

A decision in principle formally confirms that investment in the power plants is in the public interest and consistent with state policy, including ensuring the security of electricity supplies. The decision will also allow OSGE to apply for a number of other administrative decisions, including a site selection decision and a construction permit.

In mid-April, OSGE announced that it had narrowed down the potential sites for construction to a total of seven. Geological surveys will be conducted at the seven selected sites, on the basis of which the final locations for BWRX-300 construction will be chosen. The company selected the seven sites from dozens of options originally considered.

Potential sites for the construction of new small modular reactors include Ostrołęka, Włocławek, Stawy Monowskie, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Nowa Huta, the Tarnobrzeg Special Economic Zone and Warsaw. These locations are home to major industrial plants, among other things, and are suitable for establishing a district heating system. The list of sites for which OSGE is now seeking a key decision does not include Warsaw.

In December 2021, GE Hitachi, BWXR Canada and Synthos Green Energy signed a cooperation agreement on the deployment of the BWRX-300 reactor in Poland. Orlen Synthos Green Energy was established as a joint venture between chemical company Synthos Green Energy and PKN Orlen. At the beginning of July last year, OSGE submitted an application for an assessment of the BWRX-300 reactor to Poland’s state nuclear regulator.

The emergence of a nuclear-powered Poland

OSGE’s application is the latest in a series of applications for decisions in principle submitted in Poland. In mid-April this year, KGHM Polska Miedź SA submitted an application for a decision in principle to build a power plant based on the NuScale VOYGR module in Poland. In addition to generating electricity, the unit would also supply energy to copper and silver processing plants.

Just three days later, Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe applied for a decision in principle concerning the construction of the country’s first large nuclear power plant. The unit’s technology will be supplied by Westinghouse. The site has not yet been selected; Lubiatowo and Kopalino in the Pomerania region are currently under consideration.

The BWRX-300 small modular reactor is currently undergoing a pre-licensing review in Canada. The unit has also undergone a pre-licensing review in the United States by the NRC. The technology is based on a natural-circulation boiling water reactor with passive safety features and an output of 300 MWe. Development of the BWRX-300 builds on experience gained in developing the ESBWR reactor (Economic Simplified BWR), which was designed for an output of 1520 MWe.