Westinghouse has chosen Mostostal Kraków to support the construction of the first nuclear power plant in Poland. The American company responsible for the project has selected the company belonging to the Budimex Group for the next phase of the project. The scope of cooperation includes the production and assembly of steel structures, large structural modules and support. Talks with the contractor on the construction part are also being conducted by Budimex SA.

“The process of selecting companies that will participate in the construction of the power plant was carried out in a transparent and competitive manner, taking into account the requirements of quality assurance. The first qualification surveys, audits and meetings preparing for participation in the supply chain for nuclear projects began almost 3 years ago. From the very beginning, we participated in meetings preparing for the submission of an offer – says Jacek Lech, President of the Management Board at Mostostal Kraków SA.

Currently, Mostostal is taking part in the next phase of the process of development and qualification of Westinghouse’s suppliers. This includes the development of relevant technical and quality characteristics, as well as mock-up contracts for the AP1000 project in Lubiatowo-Kopalino in Pomerania, and other future European projects such as those in Bulgaria and Ukraine.

At the same time, Budimex is conducting talks on participation in the power plant construction project. Budimex has concluded a memorandum of understanding with the American Bechtel Corporation on potential cooperation in the construction of a nuclear power plant in Poland. Bechtel and the Westinghouse Electric Company are jointly responsible for the project to build a power plant with three reactors on the Baltic Sea coast.

– Beyond the nuclear island and technology area, where we are present through  Mostostal Kraków, we remain interested in the construction part, for which Bechtel is directly responsible,” says Maciej Olek, Member of the Management Board and Operational Director of Railway, Energy and Industrial Construction at Budimex SA.

The potential nuclear power plant project will be implemented by the Power and Industrial Construction Division of Budimex SA, which has completed several dozen energy investments in Poland and Lithuania. The largest of them was the construction of a new power  unit at the Turów Power Plant with an electrical capacity of 496 MW for the PGE Group and the construction of selected sections of the Baltic Pipe gas pipeline for Gaz Systems.

Budimex, as the largest construction contractor in Poland and at the same time one of the largest listed companies in the country (WIG-20), has extensive experience in the implementation of strategic investments for the country. The company’s portfolio includes the implementation of such projects as: the construction of the Gdańsk Airport or sections of the A2 and A4 motorways. Currently, the company is implementing, m.in, the largest railway station in Poland, Warszawa Zachodnia, the Vistula Spit Ditch, and is expanding the largest container terminal in this part of Europe, the Baltic Hub.

The Polish Nuclear Energy Program provides for the construction of two nuclear power plants
with a total capacity of 6-9 GW. According to the schedule, the construction of the first one – in Pomerania – will start as early as 2026, and the first unit will be launched in 2033.