Country profile: Poland

Summary figures for 2010

The following table 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) 2010	Nuclear percentage of total electricity supply
Poland	0	0.0	0.0
OECD Europe	144	868.5	24.7
Total	342	2 183.7	21.8

Country report

Poland became a member of the OECD in 1996 and a member of the NEA in 2010. It is party to the main treaties and agreements on the non-proliferation of nuclear weapons and on co-operation with regard to the peaceful uses of nuclear energy.

Energy consumption and diversification

Poland has been a net importer of energy since 1980 (importing 44.5 Mtoe and exporting 14.2 Mtoe in 2008) and its dependence on these imports is growing. Electricity consumption is forecast to grow by 55% by 2030.

Approximately 70% of energy needs are covered by indigenous production.
94% of Poland’s electricity comes from coal.
In 2008, Poland was responsible for 298.69 Mt of CO₂ emissions.

In 2009, Poland’s Council of Ministers adopted the Energy Policy of Poland until 2030 which maps out a long-term plan to meet rising energy demands by diversifying power generation sources and including nuclear power in its national energy strategy. The country is currently developing a nuclear energy programme and plans to build two nuclear power reactors, the first of which is scheduled for completion in 2022.

Commissioner for Nuclear Energy

In 2009, Ms. Hanna Trojanowska was nominated as special Government Commissioner for Nuclear Energy, Undersecretary of State at the Ministry of Economy. Commissioner Trojanowska co-ordinates the activities of the government administration and subsidiary organisations that will create the infrastructure necessary to launch Poland’s nuclear power programme.

Polska Grupa Energetyczna (PGE)

The public utility PGE is the largest power supplier in Poland, producing 42% of the national electricity output. PGE will lead the construction of Poland’s two nuclear power reactors.

Research and education

Poland has a rich scientific history in the areas of nuclear physics, radiation chemistry and radiological protection.

Research facilities

The Andrzej Soltan Institute for Nuclear Studies – INS (Swierk)
The Institute of Atomic Energy – IEA (Swierk)
The Radioisotope Centre POLATOM – OBRI POLATOM (Swierk)
Institute of Nuclear Chemistry and Technology – INCT (Warsaw)
The Institute of Plasma Physics and Laser Microfusion – IPPLM (Warsaw)
The Central Laboratory for Radiological Protection – CLRP (Warsaw)
The Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences – INP (Krakow)
The Institute of Power Engineering - IPE (Warsaw)

Research reactor

MARIA is a 30 MW pool-type, high-flux beam reactor that began operation in 1976 at the Institute of Atomic Energy (IAE) in Swierk. It is currently Poland's only operational research reactor. Named after Polish-French physicist, chemist and two-time Nobel Prize winner Marie Sklodowska-Curie, MARIA began producing medical radioisotopes in 2010 to help address shortages in their global supply chain.

Radioactive waste management

Research on radioactive waste management strategies for spent fuel from research reactors has been ongoing since the mid-1990s. In 2002, a Regulation of the Council of Ministers on Radioactive Waste and Spent Nuclear Fuel created a State public utility, the Radioactive Waste Management Plant (RWMP). In 2009, the Minister of Economy set up a special working group to prepare the National Plan for Radioactive Waste and Spent Fuel Management for Poland.

Web links

National Atomic Energy Agency (Panstwowa Agencja Atomistyki – NAEA)
Nuclear legislation in OECD countries: Poland
Institute of Atomic Energy POLATOM

Last reviewed: 7 October 2011