Westinghouse moves forward on Polish, Dutch power plant projects

Westinghouse continues to make progress on building the first nuclear power plant in Poland, having begun the long-lead-item procurement process and signed conditional purchase orders for the first of three planned AP1000 units.

The company also announced recently that it will be partnering with Hyundai Engineering & Construction on the front-end engineering design (FEED) phase of a project to deploy two large-scale reactors in the Netherlands.

Progress in Poland: On October 8, state-owned utility Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe commissioned Westinghouse to begin procuring long-lead items for the first unit of the Lubiatowo-Kopalino nuclear power plant. The Polish project ultimately calls for three Westinghouse AP1000 units with a total installed capacity of 3,750 MWe, with the first unit scheduled to enter commercial operation in 2036.

This comes on the heels of the September signing between PEJ and the Westinghouse-Bechtel consortium that covers the project's main commercial terms.

"This is an extremely important moment for the entire project. Securing long-lead items is of direct significance for the construction schedule of Poland's first nuclear power plant. We want energy from the first reactor to reach our power outlets in 2036. This is a strategic project by the Polish government that will meet our needs for decades to come, becoming one of the cornerstones of our country's energy security," said Miłosz Motyka, Poland's minister of energy.

According to Westinghouse, the scope of the orders will cover six key components, including the reactor containment vessel and associated structural modules. Both PEJ and Westinghouse expect Polish companies to bid for the contracts and to adhere to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers' NQA-1 nuclear facility quality assurance standards.

Westinghouse followed up the news by announcing earlier today that it had already placed its first conditional purchase orders with Polish suppliers for safety-related modules. These orders cover the CA02 Walls Module Scope, with supplier Mostostal Kielce; the CA03 Module Scope, with Energomontaż-Północ Gdynia S.A.; the CA05 Walls Module Scope, with Mostostal Krakow; and the CA20 Floors Module Scope, with Famak. According to Westinghouse, each company is progressing toward full NQA-1 compliance, and each will receive the full project scope upon achieving NQA-1 certification and the successful fabrication of preproduction qualification mockups.

"Westinghouse has been very impressed with the technical capabilities of Polish industry and the potential for these local suppliers in making an immediate impact in the project," said Dan Lipman, the company's president of global business initiatives. "These local suppliers will not only help us deliver the project on time and on budget, but they will also gain valuable experience that will give them an opportunity to participate in additional AP1000 projects in Poland, across Europe, and around the world."

Netherlands plans: Also on October 8, Hyundai E&C announced the signing of a contract with Westinghouse on a project in the Netherlands.

Hyundai E&C will be tasked with conducting technical assessments of potential sites, developing a master plan, and formulating a project execution strategy. It also will develop mitigation measures for key project risks and localization strategies. The companies will collaborate to conduct a comprehensive review of local laws and regulations, licensing requirements, technical standards, and project schedules, the announcement said.

The contract forms part of the FEED 1 project awarded to Westinghouse by the state-owned agency Nuclear Energy Organization Netherlands (NEO NL), which was tasked with constructing two nuclear plants in the country, each having a capacity of at least 1,000 MW.

"Through our participation in FEED 1, we expect to contribute to the successful development of the new nuclear power plant project in the Netherlands and position ourselves as a competitive project partner for subsequent phases," Hyundai E&C officials said in a statement. "Building on our extensive design and construction expertise in large-scale nuclear power plants, we will enhance the overall quality of project delivery and continue to expand business opportunities in the European nuclear power market."