Biznes Fakty
This is where „Europe's first small nuclear power plant” will be built. There's an agreement.
Construction of a nuclear power plant in Poland. Prime Minister Tusk on the progress of workTVN24
The BWRX-300, Europe’s inaugural small-scale nuclear power plant, is set to be constructed in Włocławek. This project is part of the collaboration between Orlen and Synthos Green Energy, as announced by Orlen.
„The first Polish SMR nuclear power plant will be established in Włocławek,” Orlen stated. The company highlighted that the BWRX-300 reactors are integral to its „Energy of Tomorrow Begins Today” strategy. As outlined in this plan, Orlen aims to operate at least two SMR reactors with a combined capacity of 0.6 GW by the year 2035.
„Europe’s first small-scale nuclear power station, the BWRX-300, will be constructed in Poland. We are laying the groundwork for the energy of the future. This reflects the decision made by the Supervisory Board of the Orlen Group, which sanctioned the agreement’s text. We dedicated over a year to negotiating the terms to protect Orlen’s interests, ensuring our partnership with Synthos has direct access to American technology necessary for implementing SMR projects,” stated Orlen CEO Ireneusz Fąfara in the press release.
Orlen asserts that the BWRX-300 represents the most advanced small reactor design globally.
Orlen’s agreement with Synthos
Orlen clarified that the agreement with Synthos encompasses two components, including provisions regarding the operation of Orlen Synthos Green Energy (OSGE), in which both Orlen and Synthos hold equal shares of 50%. These modifications balance shareholder rights and enhance Orlen’s influence over significant corporate decisions.
The second component, as announced by the company, is a licensing agreement that grants OSGE complete access to the American BWRX-300 technology – known as the Standard Design – enabling the initiation of building the first Polish SMR nuclear power plant in a strategically important site for ORLEN – Włocławek. A dedicated entity controlled by the company will oversee the construction.
Orlen further remarked that the BWRX-300 reactor technology developed by GE Vernova, an American firm, is the most sophisticated SMR design available today. „Gaining access to these technologies positions OSGE, and thus Orlen, at the forefront of employing this innovation,” the company emphasized.
Small Modular Reactors (SMR) PAP/Mateusz KrymskiThe Orlen Group, which includes Orlen and its subsidiaries, operates as a multi-utility corporation with refineries located in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania, in addition to a network of automotive fuel stations across Germany, Slovakia, Hungary, and Austria. It is also engaged in oil and gas extraction, petrochemicals, and energy sectors, particularly focusing on renewable energy sources. Furthermore, it has plans to advance nuclear power utilizing small modular reactors (SMRs).
In Włocławek, the site designated for Poland’s first nuclear power plant, there is a production facility of Anwil, a member of the Orlen Group. This facility manufactures nitrogen fertilizers such as ammonium nitrate and calcium ammonium nitrate, along with plastics (PVC), including suspension polyvinyl chloride, of which it is the sole producer in Poland.
The BWRX-300 belongs to the category of boiling water reactors (BWRs). With a relatively modest power output of 300 MWe, it is classified as a small modular reactor (SMR). The first such reactor is currently under construction for OPG at the Canadian Darlington Nuclear Power Plant.
