The project to build Poland’s first NPP is progressing, with general contractor Bechtel taking over management of the 330-hectare site in Pomerania from the state-owned project company Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ). With this transition, Bechtel officially assumes full responsibility for site coordination and management.
By taking over the comprehensive coordination of direct activities at the future construction site, Bechtel will be responsible for both the execution and supervision of the work carried out at this stage, as well as cooperation with investment subcontractors, and for safety at the construction site, PEJ said. Tasks will be carried out by Bechtel employees, including from the company’s newly opened office in Pomerania. As the investment progresses, the importance of the Gdańsk branch will grow to become Bechtel’s main operational and engineering base as part of the AP1000 project.
In November 2022, the then Polish government selected Westinghouse AP1000 reactor technology for a three-unit NPP, to be built at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in the Choczewo municipality in Pomerania. An agreement setting a plan for the delivery of the plant was signed in May 2023 by Westinghouse, Bechtel and PEJ. In September 2023, an engineering development agreement (EDA) was signed with Westinghouse and Bechtel to finalise a site-specific design for the NPP.
The Ministry of Climate & Environment issued a decision-in-principle in July 2024 for PEJ to construct the plant. In December 2025, PEJ signed an amendment to the EDA to accelerate preparatory work. According to the draft update of the Polish Nuclear Energy Programme (PPEJ – Program Polskiej Energetyki Jądrowej) commercial operation of the first unit is expected to begin in 2036. First concrete is scheduled for late 2028.
Simultaneously with Bechtel’s takeover, domestic construction company Budimex SA secured a PLN208.88m $55.8m) contract to spearhead the initial earthworks phase. This contract marks the transition from purely administrative design phases to active physical deployment. The initial engineering scope assigned to Budimex focuses entirely on establishing infrastructure in preparation for construction.
Work will include levelling of the land; reconstruction and extension of drainage systems; and construction of a network of temporary roads with a total length of approximately 16 km. Over a 300-hectare area on the construction site, work will be carried out to level the ground. Additional embankments will be built to prepare the area for the start of basic construction work. Approximately 6 km of drainage ditches will be built, along with culverts and erosion protection.
In parallel, work will be carried out to prepare areas for future technical, logistical and production facilities and to adapt existing infrastructure. New infrastructure will also be built, including fuel storage and vehicle refuelling facilities, car washes, equipment maintenance workshops, storage yards and material storage facilities, as well as office, social and sanitary facilities. The work is scheduled to take place between the third quarter of 2026 and the first quarter of 2029.
“After years of preparation, research and obtaining the necessary administrative decisions, we are entering a phase of intensive field work,” said Marek Woszczyk, President of the PEJ Management Board. “This is clear evidence that the Polish nuclear programme is moving from plans to implementation. Already more than 200 people are working on the site, and in the coming months this number will systematically increase. Entrusting Bechtel with the coordination of work will allow us to maintain the assumed pace of implementation and effectively prepare the project for the next stages of construction.”
Leszek Hołda, President of Bechtel Polska, noted: “This is a very important day both for Bechtel and for the implementation of the entire, multi-year project of building an infrastructure and energy project that is crucial from the point of view of our country – the first NPP in Poland. We formally become the hosts of the construction site, taking over this role from PEJ. This means moving the investment to the next stage – a phase of operational activities, carried out both by Bechtel’s engineers and experts, as well as specialised and local, contractors. Today we have also reached another milestone – we have started cooperation with an experienced Polish company that will be responsible for the implementation of the earthworks. Budimex is the fifth Polish company with which we have signed an agreement this year.”
Artur Popko, President of the Budimex Management Board, said Budimex has been participating key Polish for many years. “For nearly 60 years, this is where we have been building roads, railways, energy facilities and critical infrastructure. These are investments that benefit millions of people every day. I am extremely pleased that Bechtel – the general contractor for Poland’s first nuclear power plant – has trusted Polish contractors and entrusts us with the implementation of the first works that pave the way for further stages of this key investment. We are proud that as a Polish company we can participate in a project that will be fundamental to the security and future of our country.”
PEJ said the contract with Budimex is another example of the growing participation of domestic companies in the project – five contracts with Polish contractors have already been signed in the last few months. Since 2020, the company has concluded agreements with approximately 475 domestic entities with a total value exceeding PLN1.2bn, including 77 companies from Pomerania for approximately PLN370m.
In February, Bechtel also began cooperation with the Pomeranian company Grupa Doraco, including the preparation of geological and geotechnical research facilities at the site. In May, it concluded a contract with the Polish company Unihouse for the construction of employee facilities for 1,000 employees on the site, and in parallel is conducting several dozen tender procedures related to the project, the total value of which is approximately PLN1.7bn.
The total cost for the NPP project is estimated at around $37bn with local spending accounting for a large component of the overall programme Poland passed legislation to provide PLN60.2bn in equity support, covering roughly 30% of costs. The European Commission has approved Poland’s state financing framework. More than €14bn ($16bn) of the total project budget is legally designated to flow directly to domestic firms. Partnering with companies like Budimex and Grupa Doraco embeds Polish industry into the regional nuclear supply chains. Bechtel has opened an operations hub in Gdańsk to directly transition local industrial capacity into civil nuclear expertise.
“The construction of the first Polish nuclear power plant is entering the next stage of implementation”, said Energy Minister Miłosz Motyka. “This is an investment that strengthens Poland’s energy security and sovereignty, increases our independence from external conditions, and creates conditions for ensuring stable and predictable energy prices for households and entrepreneurs.… Hundreds of Polish companies are already involved in the construction of the power plant, providing the services, technologies and competences necessary to carry out this investment. Our goal is to ensure that as much of the value of this project as possible remains in the country – strengthening the potential of Polish businesses, creating high-quality jobs, developing national competencies and building lasting advantages for the Polish economy for decades to come.”
