Bechtel and Westinghouse, two leading U.S. companies in the global nuclear industry, today announced they’ve signed a Memorandum of Understanding with GE Steam Power to explore opportunities in their joint pursuit of civil nuclear power projects in Poland. GE Steam Power nuclear steam turbines are installed in half of the nuclear power plants in the world.
“Poland is taking visionary steps to transition to a clean energy economy while retaining its energy independence and security,” said Ahmet Tokpinar, operations manager of Bechtel’s Nuclear Power business line. “The cooperation with GE Steam Power, along with future additions from the Polish supply chain, will form a team with local talent and proven, hands-on experience in nuclear project delivery.”
Bechtel and Westinghouse are preparing a front-end engineering design (FEED) for a plant on a site chosen by Poland on the Baltic Sea coast, for the Polish Nuclear Power Plant program. The FEED is partially funded by a grant from the U.S. Trade and Development Agency.
“Westinghouse is well-positioned to help Poland meet its energy goals through our proven AP1000® technology, our in-country investments for local manufacturing, and our global shared services center in Krakow. We look forward to working with GE Steam Power to explore joint pursuit on this important project,” said Elias Gedeon, SVP Commercial Operations of Westinghouse Energy Systems.
“As one of the most dependable sources of carbon-free power generation providing around-the-clock energy supply, nuclear energy is a critical pillar for today’s energy transition.” Said Frédéric Wiscart, Nuclear New Build Leader for GE Steam Power. “GE is a long-standing partner to the Polish energy industry, and we look forward to offering our decades of technological expertise in turbine island design and installation to Bechtel and Westinghouse.”
Bechtel has designed, built, or provided services to 80 nuclear reactors in the United States and 150 worldwide, across all major reactor designs. Westinghouse and Bechtel are currently completing a two-reactor expansion of Plant Vogtle in the United States using AP1000 technology.