Poland targets year-end nuclear EPC contract as surveys show public backing for energy sovereignty

Nuclear negotiations advance toward year-end deadline

Polish authorities are preparing to finalize the engineering, procurement, and construction contract for the country's first nuclear power plant with the American consortium Westinghouse and Bechtel before the end of 2026. State-owned company Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) reached an agreement with the consortium on 23 September regarding core commercial conditions. The plant, planned for the Choczewo municipality in Pomeranian Voivodeship, will deploy Westinghouse AP1000 reactor technology. The operational timeline targets the first unit to enter service in 2036, followed by additional reactors in 2037 and 2038.

Energy Minister Miłosz Motyka indicated to TVN24 that final execution depends on safeguarding national economic interests, including energy price controls, Polish industrial participation, and joint financial commitment from the US partners. Polish negotiators also successfully established Polish law as the governing legal framework for the agreement, addressing a condition identified in September by Deputy Energy Minister Wojciech Wrochna. The current phase follows a bridge engineering development agreement signed in April 2025 and the handover of the site to Bechtel in August 2026.

First and foremost, we want to set tough conditions that are good for Polish industry. If they are met, we will be able to sign this contract by the end of the year.

Public backs technology sovereignty over energy costs

The push to establish domestic energy assets aligns with broader public sentiment in Poland regarding strategic supply chains. A cross-country study showed that 21% of the weight Polish respondents assigned to energy strategy elements centered on technology origin, compared to 19% assigned to direct bill impacts. Poland and France were the only surveyed nations where technological origin outweighed cost considerations.

Overall, 75% of Polish survey participants favored building domestic clean energy infrastructure even if it slows the pace of energy transition, yielding a net positive support of 67 percentage points against 8% who opposed. Similarly, 72% backed the development of domestic technology despite higher short-term energy expenses. Across the five surveyed European countries, only 34% endorsed ongoing cheap imports from China when linked to strategic dependence, while 31% opposed such trade. While French respondents favored domestic production most decisively and German respondents accepted broader allied European sourcing, Spanish respondents showed the highest openness to Chinese partnerships.

Rising bills create financial strain for households

Despite broad support for energy independence, household budgets face pressure from utility expenses. An EY study found that energy spending exceeds 10% of household income for 21% of Polish consumers. Furthermore, 34% of respondents expect difficulties paying utility bills over the next 12 months, and only 45% report a full sense of energy security. Inflation was cited by 71% of Polish respondents and 69% globally as the leading factor behind high costs, followed by utility margins cited by 49% in Poland and 48% internationally.

Consumers look to institutions for financial relief, with 65% pointing to utility providers, 63% to national government, and 47% to local authorities as responsible for offering assistance. Specific measures requested from suppliers include customized tariffs based on housing and consumption patterns (43%), financial incentives for shifting usage hours (37%), and clearer billing breakdowns (37%).

Consumer uncertainty today concerns not only the level of bills, but also how they will develop in subsequent months. This makes household budget planning difficult and means that the sense of energy security is increasingly linked to long-term cost predictability.