More than 200 local business leaders came together for the second Supplier Symposium presented by Westinghouse Electric Company and Bechtel Power Corp. Information sessions and one-on-one meetings provided in-depth opportunities for local suppliers to learn more about the Westinghouse AP1000® Plant equipment and services, sourcing requirements, and supply chain opportunities in support of Poland’s Nuclear Power Program. Company leaders were joined by Andrzej Sidlo, chief expert in the Nuclear Energy Department, Ministry of Climate and Environment for the Republic of Poland.
“Each completed AP1000 unit will result in $1B USD in supplier spend. The potential of building several reactors will yield tens of billions of zloty of localization spend in Poland, providing thousands of jobs before and during construction, as well as 600-800 operations and maintenance jobs throughout the 60+ year operating life of the plant,” said Miroslaw Kowalik, Westinghouse president of Poland operations. “We are proud of our localization commitment to Poland’s Nuclear Power Program and look forward to working the talented and diverse suppliers we met today.”
Westinghouse and Bechtel leaders shared information on the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) project announced in June 2021 and successes with AP1000 plants in operation currently. Based on Westinghouse AP1000 technology which offers the highest safety, operability and load following capability in the market, the FEED will be reviewed in 2022 by the Polish government to help in its selection of the best partner for the nuclear power plant program.
“Poland has taken bold steps on the path to net zero,” said Ahmet Tokpinar, operations manager of Bechtel’s nuclear power business. “Bechtel and Westinghouse have hands-on experience designing and building AP1000 plants, but we absolutely will need the Polish supply chain to deliver this project. The sooner we can raise awareness of the opportunities and what will be needed, the better.”
Westinghouse and Bechtel are currently completing the con
struction phase of identical AP1000 units at the Vogtle site in Georgia, USA, with the first unit expected to enter commercial operation in 2022.
