A render of the nuclear facility on Poland’s Baltic coast (Image courtesy of Polish Nuclear Power Plants/Bechtel)

A consortium of Bechtel and nuclear power firm Westinghouse has been awarded an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract from the state-owned Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) for the country’s first nuclear power plant.

They will build the facility in Choczewo, Pomerania, on the Baltic coast. PEJ said the new plant will start generating electricity in 2036.

The EPC contract’s main commercial terms have been agreed, paving the way for further, detailed negotiations regarding the remaining aspects.

The second stage of preparatory work is currently underway, involving grading and levelling the site, drainage works, construction of temporary roads and geological surveys.

PEJ applied in March 2026 for a building permit to begin in 2027.

Budimex, Doraco, Unihouse, MSA Security and Barg M.B Gdańsk arę among some of the Polish companies that have won contracts worth $250m on the project.

The price tag for the nuclear plant could reach $37bn. It will have three Westinghouse AP1000 units generating 3,750 MWe of energy. The Generation III+ reactor has fully passive safety systems, a modular design and one of the smallest footprints per MWe.

The project aims to reduce Poland’s dependence on coal, reducing it from 51% at present, according to energy think tank Ember. The country is one of the top 10 emitters of coal mine methane globally. 

If finance can be secured, a second plant will be built by Kepco of South Korea and will consist of two APR 1400 reactors installed in Poland’s central Patnów-Konin region.