April 28 (UPI) -- The U.S. Department of Energy announced Monday that an agreement has been signed that will allow Poland to construct its first AP1000 nuclear power plant.
The AP1000 is a nuclear power plant designed and produced by Westinghouse Electric. It is a pressurized water reactor designed to be lower cost.
"Today's signed agreement to advance the building of civil nuclear reactors in Poland marks a significant milestone for two American companies, Poland's energy security, and a safer, more energized world," said U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright in a post on X Monday.
Wright joined the Westinghouse/Bechtel Consortium, or WBC, Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe, or PEJ, and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk for the signing of the Engineering Development Agreement, or EDA. The EDA is part of a larger nuclear energy security deal worth tens of billions of dollars to build large-scale civil nuclear reactors in Poland.
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The project could eventually allow for as many as six AP1000s across two sites.
Wright said the agreement "will provide Poland enormous levels of energy security and create tens of thousands of Polish and American jobs," and also "marks the start of a long-term nuclear cooperation between the United States and Poland that will result in building future reactors."
The EDA allows for a Westinghouse AP1000 to be constructed by Bechtel in Poland's Pomeranian province, and it reportedly will create nearly 40,000 related jobs. Construction is expected to start at some point in 2026.
Poland has worked to establish nuclear energy for some time, as the Polish government first arranged a partnership with Westinghouse in November of 2022 to supply three AP1000 nuclear power reactors in Poland, which followed memorandums of understanding Westinghouse signed with ten Polish companies in January of 2022.
The Polish effort to support the development of renewable energy first received the OK from European regulators in December of 2017.
