Bechtel announced today that it has signed an agreement with Gdansk University of Technology to establish a new career development program to prepare the necessary workforce for Poland’s emerging nuclear power industry.
Bechtel and Gdansk University of Technology representatives gather for the signing of the letter of intent.
Gdansk University of Technology is located in the Pomeranian province of the Choczewo municipality, where Bechtel will be building Poland’s first nuclear power plant. The cooperation is an important step for the Poland nuclear power plant project and will help the area become the center of the region’s energy transition.
The letter of intent was signed by Prof. Krzysztof Wilde, Rector of the Gdansk University of Technology, and Leszek Hołda, Bechtel Poland Country Manager.
"Bechtel is proud to be strengthening ties with Polish academia at such a highly regarded university as the Gdansk University of Technology,” said Leszek Hołda, Bechtel Poland Country Manager. “We believe that this collaboration will bring real benefits to science and Polish engineering, along with the development of the nuclear power sector in Poland."
The agreement is a cornerstone of Bechtel's efforts to exchange practical knowledge and experience with Polish industry, as well as to develop scientific curriculum in cooperation with recognized technical universities across the country. The parties' cooperation is expected to secure national needs in the fields of civil engineering, energy infrastructure, data processing, information technology networks, and strategic management, among others. It is also expected to result in students and graduates being adequately prepared for the labor market in, among other things, nuclear power and related engineering fields.
“Cooperation with such a renowned company as Bechtel is yet another and authoritative confirmation for our university that the direction of development of the Gdansk University of Technology is right and that our position on the scientific map of Poland is a top one,” said Professor Krzysztof Wilde, Rector of the Gdansk University of Technology. “I am convinced that both parties will benefit equally from this cooperation, and that it will serve both the process of green transformation of the Polish energy sector, as well as facilitate the implementation of this strategically important investment for the whole country, which is the construction of a nuclear power plant in Pomerania.”
The signing ceremony at Gdansk University of Technology was accompanied by a special lecture, led by Ramesh Balasubramanian, a Bechtel Principal Vice President with more than 30 years of experience in energy sector, project management, field engineering, and construction.
“Cooperation with the scientific and engineering community is a pillar of Bechtel’s operations worldwide,” said Balasubramanian, Bechtel Principal Vice President and Manager of Corporate Engineering and Technology. “Sharing knowledge and experience in engineering related to critical infrastructure, as well as nuclear power, is key to developing a cadre of professionals for a sector that is poised to grow on an unprecedented scale in Poland. We are proud to play a part in building that future."
In early March 2024, Bechtel also signed an agreement with the Warsaw University of Technology to launch a Nuclear Energy Career Development Program.
For 70 years, Bechtel has helped customers deliver clean energy through nuclear. In that time, Bechtel has designed, built, or provided construction services on 150 nuclear plants worldwide, bringing more than 76,000 megawatts of new nuclear generation capacity to the world. Bechtel’s current portfolio includes large scale reactors such as Plant Vogtle, and also small modular reactors/advanced reactors including the Natrium Advanced Demonstration Reactor in the U.S. Recently, Bechtel and Westinghouse signed a contract that paves the way for work on Poland’s first nuclear power plant where Bechtel recently opened a new office and in May in-depth geological surveys will begin at the site. To learn more about Bechtel’s expertise and experience in nuclear, visit Bechtel.com at Nuclear Power Plant Project Construction | Bechtel.
