Polish chemicals group Synthos and energy group ZE PAK have signed an investment agreement to explore the construction of four to six BWRX-300 small modular reactors at the site of ZE PAK's Pątnów coal-fired power plant in central Poland. Synthos, which has exclusive rights in the country for GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy's small nuclear reactors, will participate in the project as both an investor and the technology provider.

Westinghouse Electric Company has announced the launch of front-end engineering and design work under a grant from the United States Trade and Development Agency "to progress" the nuclear energy programme in Poland. Westinghouse said the FEED is one of the key elements in the implementation of the Intergovernmental Agreement between Poland and the USA regarding cooperation to develop a civil nuclear power programme. The preparation of the FEED will be mostly funded by the US government.

Polish chemicals group Synthos and petrochemical firm PKN Orlen have agreed to cooperate on micro modular reactors and small modular reactors. Under an agreement announced today, both companies will jointly carry out research and explore the feasibility of deploying such reactors at Orlen's production plants in Poland.

Government leadership and support from policymakers is needed to instill confidence in the investment community towards nuclear energy, Sama Bilbao y León, director general of World Nuclear Association, said yesterday during a side event held as part of the UN Ministerial Thematic Forums for the High-level Dialogue on Energy that will take place in September. The side event - Nuclear energy's contribution to net zero and the sustainable development goals - was organised by World Nuclear Association together with Canadian Nuclear Association, Foratom, the Japan Atomic Industry Forum and the Nuclear Energy Institute, and sponsored by the Clean Energy Ministerial NICE Future initiative.

Poland's Ministry of Education and Science and the National Centre for Nuclear Research have signed an agreement for the next round of high temperature gas-cooled reactor design work. The agreement was signed yesterday in Otwock-Spruce, at a ceremony attended by Minister of Climate and Environment Michał Kurtyka, Minister of Education and Science Przemysław Czarnek and Director of the National Centre for Nuclear Research Krzysztof Kurek.

Westinghouse Electric Company has announced its intention to invest in nuclear technologies in Poland, following a meeting in Warsaw between Westinghouse CEO Patrick Fragman and Polish Secretary of State for Strategic Energy Infrastructure Piotr Naimski.

Hungary is now the sixth European country to bring forward its coal phaseout plan, announcing that it will shut its last remaining coal plant in 2025. Meanwhile Poland says its first nuclear power unit will be built in Gdansk and the second one probably at the site of its Belchatów coal plant.

The diplomatic notes Poland and the USA exchanged last year on cooperation in the development of Poland's civil nuclear power programme have officially entered into force, Poland's Secretary of State for Strategic Energy Infrastructure Piotr Naimski told the TOK FM radio station yesterday. This means the USA now has 18 months to prepare both a technology and a financing offer to build nuclear power plants in Poland, he said.

Poland's Council of Ministers yesterday approved an energy policy to 2040 (PEP2040) that aims to reduce the share of coal in the country's electricity generation mix from 72% in 2020 to 56% in 2030. The policy includes construction of six nuclear power units.

The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency has launched an initiative together with Poland's Ministry of Climate and Environment and the International Framework for Nuclear Energy Cooperation to collaborate on issues of common interest related to innovative nuclear financing. The initiative began with a technical workshop on 14-15 January, which brought together experts from the public, private and academic sectors to discuss a number of fundamental issues pertaining to the financing of nuclear new build.

Polish climate and environmental activists are asking Germany to reconsider its 2011 decision to phase out nuclear power. On 18 December, activists from the FOTA4Climate initiative submitted to the German embassy in Warsaw an open letter signed by Polish scientists, intellectuals, activists and citizens.

Synthos Green Energy has announced the completion of a deployment feasibility study for the implementation of a fleet of GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy BWRX-300 small modular reactors in Poland. The study, which was prepared by Exelon Generation, will help the Synthos Group estimate how many reactors would need to be built to make the most of the cost effect of serial SMR production.