Poland’s push to replace coal power with a fleet of compact nuclear reactors just gained momentum, as developers signed a deal that could put six BWRX-300 units on the site of a retiring plant in Pątnów.
The joint venture between Polish developer SGE and utility ZE PAK targets up to 1,800 megawatts of capacity. It marks the clearest test yet of a strategy sweeping Europe: build the same reactor design repeatedly to drive down costs.
SGE would control the majority stake, pending competition clearance. ZE PAK and its subsidiary would ready the site, with land transfer planned for 2030 through a mix of sale and in-kind contribution. Existing grid connections give the location an edge, though engineering and licensing reviews still lie ahead. “The energy and fuel crises of recent years clearly demonstrate that Poland must have its own stable sources of energy,” said Piotr Żak, ZE PAK’s management board chairman. No reactor contract, construction terms, or Polish permits exist yet.
The Pątnów plan arrives weeks after a broader memorandum of understanding signed September 22 in New York. GE Vernova, Hitachi, Samsung C&T, and SGE agreed to develop European markets for the BWRX-300. SGE’s Polish program, operated through its ORLEN Synthos Green Energy joint venture, claims government decisions in principle for 26 reactors. It has also proposed 14 units in the U.K. totaling 4.2 gigawatts.
Yet licensing fragmentation threatens the fleet model. Brussels has called for first SMR units in Europe by the early 2030s, projecting EU capacity between 17 and 53 gigawatts by 2050. Regulators differ widely across member states, and a reactor licensed in one country must undergo fresh approval in another. The U.K. sits outside the EU framework entirely.
Manufacturing capacity poses another constraint. Ontario’s Darlington project provides construction experience for the design, but no operating record. Until suppliers commit to component schedules and a firm construction contract emerges, the promised savings from repetition remain theoretical.
