Technology assessment, location, personnel - KGHM intensifies work on implementing SMR in Poland

Application for technology and safety assessment to the Polish Atomic Energy Agency and location study – Marcin Chludziński, President of KGHM, presents next steps concerning the project to implement advanced small modular reactors (SMRs) in Poland. He demostrated those plans during the debate "The role of state-owned enterprises in building the economic power of Poland" at Kongres 590 in Nadarzyn.

Under the contract concluded with the American company NuScale, KGHM will implement the SMR technology in Poland. The first power plant is to be in operation by 2029. Clean energy will power the copper company's production facilities. The project is modular, and that translates into seamless scaling up of the undertaking.

– We need to think strategically and for KGHM such a project is nuclear energy, which has many advantages over other sources of energy, which are safe and which are worth investing in. It is zero-emission and optimally priced, which is crucial given today's macroeconomic conditions. – said Marcin Chludziński, President of the Management Board of KGHM Polska Miedź S.A.

Marcin Chludziński announced that the location study, which will indicate the place where the project will develop best in terms of safety and connection options, should be completed later this year. He added that the copper giant is also considering the management of this investment.

– We are preparing a Simulation Centre for the operation of such a power plant, so that the specialists have space to prepare for their new duties. Nuclear power is one of the most advanced fields in today's world, but we did not have it in Poland until now – said the President of KGHM.

The construction of small nuclear reactors is directly related to the Climate Policy of KGHM Polska Miedź and the Company's new strategic direction - energy. Modular light-water reactor nuclear power plant technology developed by NuScale Power provides energy for power generation, heating, desalination, hydrogen production and other applications related to process heat. This ground-breaking solution, out of all small modular reactor technologies, received approval from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. KGHM, leader in copper and silver production, will be the first company to implement SMR technology in Poland.

KGHM actively participates in Kongres 590. The Company's specialists will provide participants with details of the nuclear power project.

The name of Kongres 590 comes from the bar code prefix used to mark goods manufactured or distributed by Polish enterprises. The lead theme of the event's 7th Edition will be international cooperation of the Three Seas Initiative's countries.