Country profile: Poland
Summary figures for 2011
The following information is from the NEA publication Nuclear Energy Data, the annual compilation of official statistics and country reports on nuclear energy in OECD member countries.
| Country | Number of nuclear power plants connected to the grid |
Nuclear electricity generation (net TWh) 2011 |
Nuclear percentage of total electricity supply |
|||
| Poland | 0 |
0.0 |
0.0 |
|||
| OECD Europe | 135 |
858.4 |
24.7 |
|||
| Total | 329 |
2049.5 |
20.7 |
|||
Country report
There is no commercial utilisation of nuclear power in Poland yet. The research reactor Maria, used also for production of medical radioisotopes and operated in Swierk (National Centre for Nuclear Research) is the only operating nuclear facility in the country. More than 90% of the electricity in Poland is generated from coal; with the majority of the rest from oil and gas and 3% from renewable energy sources. In 2008, Poland produced 298.69 Mt of CO2 emissions.
The document "Polish Energy Policy until 2030" adopted by Poland's Council of Ministers takes into account the option of nuclear power generation to ensure national energy security. According to the plans for national electricity supply development, the first nuclear power plant in the country is expected to be put into operation around the year 2020. The Government Commissioner for Nuclear Energy nominated in 2009 is responsible for the co-ordination and supervision of the measures for the preparation of the regulatory and institutional environment required for the nuclear power plant commissioning. Responsibility for the plant's construction rests with PGE Polish Energy Group SA, the largest power supplier in Poland. The draft of the nuclear power programme was developed and submitted to the Council of Ministers by the Government Commissioner in early 2011; this programme shall determine the nuclear power plants' number, size and possible sites.
The Council of Ministers instructed the Minister of Economy (in co-operation with the Minister of State Treasury) to prepare a new national strategy regarding radioactive waste and spent fuel management. The document describing the strategy is expected to be ready in 2012. According to the Frame Programme for Nuclear Power Implementation in Poland prepared in July 2009 by the Government Commissioner for Nuclear Energy, the selection of the three potential sites for a low- and medium-level radioactive waste repository will be completed by the end of 2013, the design of the repository in 2013-2014 and by the year 2020 the repository will be put into operation.
Web links
National Atomic Energy Agency (Panstwowa Agencja Atomistyki – NAEA)
Nuclear legislation in OECD countries: Poland
National Centre for Nuclear Research – NCBJ
Last reviewed: 30 May 2012
