Poland has taken another step towards building its second nuclear power station after the government signed an agreement with two state-owned energy companies to coordinate preparations for the multibillion-zloty project. The plant could be built at either Bełchatów or Konin in central Poland, with construction provisionally scheduled to begin around 2032 and electricity generation around 2040.
The agreement, signed on 13 October by the Ministry of Energy, Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) and Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE), establishes which organisations will be responsible for preparing the investment.
Under the arrangement, PEJ, the state-owned company already overseeing Poland’s first nuclear power station, will become the investor and project coordinator. PGE, Poland’s largest electricity producer, will assess potential locations and prepare preliminary feasibility studies alongside prospective nuclear technology suppliers.
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The Ministry of Energy confirmed the agreement as part of the government’s updated nuclear programme, adopted on 29 September.
Although the agreement clarifies the division of responsibilities, no final construction site, reactor supplier or strategic partner has yet been selected. The project remains in the preparatory phase.
Bełchatów and Konin remain the leading candidates
Two locations in central Poland are under consideration for the second nuclear power station: Bełchatów in Łódź province and Konin in Greater Poland.
Both have long histories of large-scale electricity generation and existing energy infrastructure.
Bełchatów is home to one of Europe’s largest coal-fired power stations, operated by PGE, and a major lignite mining complex. A nuclear facility could potentially help preserve the region’s role as an important electricity-producing centre as Poland gradually reduces its reliance on coal.
Konin, meanwhile, has its own longstanding coal-based energy industry, centred on the Konin-Pątnów area. Local authorities regard nuclear development as a potential source of investment, employment and long-term economic activity as traditional power generation declines.
The two sites have not been declared equally suitable, and neither has been approved as the final location.
The decision will depend on technical investigations covering the suitability of the land, existing infrastructure and other requirements associated with constructing a nuclear power station.
Following the agreement, PGE will carry out the necessary location assessments on behalf of PEJ, working with prospective technology suppliers.
Konin’s mayor, Piotr Korytkowski, welcomed the city’s continued inclusion among the leading candidates. In comments published by the Polish Press Agency’s local-government service, he said local authorities would continue making the case for bringing the investment to the area.
The government has not announced when a final location decision will be made.
American, French and Canadian suppliers compete for the project
The next major decision will concern the technology and international partner responsible for helping deliver the plant.
The government has confirmed that a competitive dialogue is underway with prospective partners representing the United States, France and Canada.
The potential suppliers include American nuclear technology company Westinghouse, France’s EDF and Canada’s AtkinsRéalis.
Unlike the agreement signed this week, which concerns coordination between Polish institutions, the eventual selection of a foreign partner will involve decisions about reactor technology, financing and longer-term cooperation.
The Ministry of Energy has indicated that Poland wants a comprehensive offer addressing not only the construction and technology requirements but also how the investment will be financed.
Large-scale Generation III+ water-cooled reactors are under consideration, similar in broad technological category to those chosen for Poland’s first nuclear power station.
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Deputy Energy Minister Wojciech Wrochna, the government’s representative responsible for strategic energy infrastructure, said the agreement established a clearer division of responsibilities ahead of the location studies and technology selection.
He stressed that the competitive process was intended to secure favourable conditions for Poland, including financing and long-term industrial cooperation.
Under the updated Polish Nuclear Power Programme, the strategic partner and technology are due to be selected in 2027.
The government is targeting construction around 2032, with the first generating unit entering service around 2040. Both dates remain planning targets rather than guaranteed delivery commitments.
Earlier partnership with South Korea fell through
The second nuclear project has already undergone significant changes.
In 2022, under the previous Law and Justice government, PGE and privately owned Polish energy company ZE PAK signed a letter of intent with South Korea’s Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) to explore building reactors in the Konin-Pątnów area.
The initiative did not develop into a final construction agreement.
KHNP subsequently withdrew from the project in 2025. The South Korean company’s explanation and the Polish government’s account of why the arrangement failed differed, with Polish officials rejecting suggestions that they had formally suspended the project.
In October 2025, the government announced that PGE was taking full control of the PGE PAK Energia Jądrowa venture by acquiring ZE PAK’s remaining 50% stake.
The Energy Ministry described the takeover as part of a broader effort to reorganise preparations for the second nuclear project.
The latest agreement advances that reorganisation by giving PEJ the investor role and assigning PGE responsibility for the initial technical and location work.
It does not revive the previous South Korean agreement.
Poland’s first nuclear station is further advanced
While the second project is still being prepared, Poland’s first nuclear power station is already moving through the development and pre-construction process.
The government has chosen the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in the coastal municipality of Choczewo, in northern Poland’s Pomeranian region.
That facility is planned to use three Westinghouse AP1000 reactors, with a combined electrical capacity of approximately 3.75 gigawatts.
The government expects the first concrete for the nuclear structures to be poured in 2028, with the first reactor beginning commercial operation in 2036 and the station reaching full capacity by 2038.
Those dates represent a revised timetable, later than targets previously announced.
Work on the first plant includes site preparations, regulatory approvals, infrastructure development and commercial negotiations.
Under the government’s funding arrangements, PLN 60.2 billion in state capital injections is envisaged for the first project between 2025 and 2030, alongside debt financing.
That allocation concerns the first station. It should not be interpreted as funding already committed to the second.
The two planned stations form the core of Poland’s revised national nuclear programme, which envisages combined generating capacity of up to nine gigawatts.
Nuclear power central to Poland’s transition away from coal
Poland remains heavily dependent on coal for electricity generation, making its planned energy transition one of the most substantial in the European Union.
Nuclear power is intended to provide a stable, low-emission source of electricity capable of operating alongside the expanding contribution from wind and solar power.
The government argues that developing domestic nuclear generation will improve energy security, reduce reliance on fossil fuels and provide predictable electricity supplies for households and industry.
Energy Minister Miłosz Motyka described the second nuclear programme as an investment in national energy security and long-term economic development.
The government also wants Polish businesses to benefit from the construction and operation of the stations, with opportunities for engineering, construction, manufacturing and specialist technology companies.
Its updated programme places greater emphasis on developing domestic industrial capabilities, training specialists and ensuring Polish suppliers can participate in nuclear projects.
Nevertheless, substantial decisions remain outstanding for the second station.
The final location, reactor configuration, construction partner, financing arrangements and detailed commercial structure will all need to be established before the project can move towards construction.
For now, the agreement is an organisational milestone rather than a commitment to begin building immediately.
It gives Poland’s planned second nuclear power station a clearer management structure while leaving the most consequential investment decisions for the coming years.
