In the context of energy independence from Russia, many countries rely on nuclear power. The United Kingdom wants to build new nuclear power plants, South Korea is considering extending the life of existing reactors and France is announcing the nationalisation of the sector. The Polish government has a plan to implement a small atom – a young technology with great potential.
Yoon Suk-yeol, the newly elected president of South Korea, announced shortly after the election the extension of the life of 10 nuclear power plants. This will increase the share of nuclear energy in the country’s energy mix from the current 29.4% to 35%.
The Korean company KHNP (Korea Hydro & Nuclear Plant) has been interested in the construction of Polish nuclear power plants for years and is waiting for the selection of a technology partner. The first reactor in Poland is due to be built in 2033, and a decade later, the installed capacity for electricity generation is expected to be 6-9 GW. In addition to KHNP, the American Westinghouse and the French EDF have also registered.
French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that the State must take control of certain entities in the energy sector to guarantee the country’s security of energy supply. This includes EDF. Macron had previously promised the company tens of billions of euros to build 14 new reactors and replace old parts by 2050.
In addition to France, where most of the energy is now generated from nuclear power, the United Kingdom is also planning to build new power stations. A company will soon be set up to identify new locations and cut red tape to speed up the planning process. The British want to increase nuclear energy production by more than threefold from the current 7 to 24 GW by 2050.
In Poland, Nuclear power should be a guarantor of energy security, both in the form of large nuclear power plants and smaller SMR plants, as Deputy Prime Minister Jacek Sasin recently stressed.
“We are one of the first in the world to participate intensively in the construction of small nuclear reactors,” Sasin said.
He added that, with the development of this technology, it would also be possible to use this type of equipment in the commercial energy sector. “We are currently working on a model to replace the oldest, most consumed carbon blocks with nuclear reactors with a capacity of 300 MW,” the Deputy Prime Minister concluded.