Bechtel takes over site of Poland's first nuclear power plant, a 200 billion PLN project

Site handover

On Wednesday, 5 August 2026, Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) formally transferred the construction site for Poland's first nuclear power plant to Bechtel, the American general contractor working alongside Westinghouse. The ceremony took place at Lubiatowo-Kopalino in the municipality of Choczewo on the Baltic coast, attended by Energy Minister Miłosz Motyka, PEJ CEO Marek Woszczyk, US Ambassador to Poland Tom Rose, Bechtel Polska CEO Leszek Hołda, parliamentarians, and local officials. The handover marks the transition from preparatory geological surveys to active earthworks, even as final contract negotiations with the Westinghouse-Bechtel consortium continue and are expected to conclude by the end of 2026. The decision to proceed without waiting for the executive contract was taken to maintain the tight construction schedule.

Scale and scope

The cleared site spans over 300 hectares of former coastal forest, with the total investment area, including a road junction and worker accommodation, reaching approximately 600 hectares, comparable in size to Warsaw's Chopin Airport. The project envisions three AP1000 reactors with a gross capacity of 1,250 MWe each, designed to supply electricity to 12 million consumers. The estimated cost reaches 200 billion PLN. Earthworks contracted to Budimex will require moving six million cubic metres of soil, building 16 km of temporary roads and six km of drainage ditches, with the work scheduled between the third quarter of 2026 and the first quarter of 2029. The site will also feature fuel storage, vehicle wash stations, equipment maintenance workshops, material storage yards, and office and sanitary facilities. Containers for up to 1,000 workers will be installed.

This is the largest investment in the Polish economy in the history of modern Poland. This is an investment that guarantees us that the energy transition will guarantee to those who are most important in this process, the consumers, cheap energy, safe energy supplies.

Polish contractor participation

PEJ reported that since 2020 it has signed over 470 contracts with Polish companies, with a total value exceeding 1.2 billion PLN, including agreements with 77 firms from the Pomerania region worth approximately 370 million PLN. Woszczyk noted that the number of Polish contractors, particularly from Pomerania, has been growing steadily over the past 18 months. Hołda emphasised the opportunity for domestic firms to gain nuclear construction expertise.

This is a huge opportunity for Polish companies, which will learn to build a nuclear power plant.

Geological research and next steps

Before the handover, Bechtel completed the first of three phases of geological and biotechnical surveys, drilling over 23 km across more than 200 boreholes and collecting 10,000 samples to determine foundation parameters for the reactor units. Bechtel has opened a new office in Pomerania that will serve as the main operational and engineering hub, with a target workforce of up to 500 people. The company will coordinate all on-site activities, supervise subcontractors, and manage safety. Doraco, a Gdansk-based firm, is also supporting the preparatory works.

Timeline and political context

The first reactor is expected to be ready between 2035 and 2036, depending on the source, with the full plant operational by 2038. Forsal reports the first block launching in 2035, while TVN24 cites 2036 for the first reactor. Once earthworks are complete, the so-called first nuclear concrete will be poured, beginning the actual construction phase. Ambassador Rose framed the project within the broader US-Polish alliance.

This is not only a gain for Poland, but also for America, because America needs strong allies. That is why our relations with Poland are so good.