Elzbeta Kadza, researchers of the Institute of Public Affairs (Poland)

– The public opinion in Poland supports nuclear energy

The Ministry of Economy of Poland is drafting legislation on nuclear energy: the laws will be ready by the end of this year 2009 and will be introduced in 2010, says Deputy Minister of Economy Hanna Trojanowska. Special attention will be paid to laws on investments in the field of peaceful use of nuclear energy and selection of sites for future NPPS.

Energy shortages are the most urgent problem for Poland for the moment, especially now that Ignalina NPP is being prepared for shut-down. In order to avoid energy crisis, the Polish Government is developing a new energy strategy: particularly, it is going to develop nuclear energy.

There are several reasons why Poland is showing preference to nuclear energy. First of all, the country has to meet its EU obligations to combat the climate changes. Nuclear energy is not as dirty as coal and this is a very good argument in support of its development. Second, Poland needs to diversify its energy supplies. 90% of the Polish manufacturing companies work on coal and are heavily dependent on the supplies of Russian gas. It seems that the public opinion is also inclined towards nuclear energy. This year the number of people supporting nuclear energy may grow by 7% as compared with 2008 (33% in 2008 and 40% in 2009). This is almost the same as in the countries with developed nuclear power industries: there the index is 44%. The key reason for this approval is that people want to see low electricity prices, especially now that they are suffering from financial crisis.

The Polish Government is showing a very serious approach to the problem of energy supplies and has taken several important steps to develop renewable energy sources and nuclear power. Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said that in 2020 Poland will have one nuclear power plant. The second NPP will be built by 2030. The share of nuclear energy in the total energy balance will amount to 6%. The Ministry of Energy has established a special nuclear energy department.

Meanwhile, many experts say that it will be a hard job for Poland to build a nuclear power plant. They doubt that the country will be able to build the plant by 2020. They say that the Polish Government has no sufficient money and will have to revise the project. Mass media say that the project will cost much more than planned: Poland will have to borrow money for it (a 15-year 7% loan). As a result, one MW to be produced by the new plant will cost twice as much as one MW produced by a coal or gas plant. The Polish Energy Group refutes this information but the debates are underway.

In late 2009, according to its agreement with the EU, Lithuania will have to shut down Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant. Together with Latvia, Estonia and Poland, it was going to build a new NPP but the parties have failed to reach agreement so far. Estonia and Poland want to build their own NPPs. By 2016 Russia will build the 1st unit of Baltic Nuclear PowerPlant in Kaliningrad region. 51% of this plant will belong to the state, 49% to private investors. Public hearings on the Baltic NPP project will take place in Neman, Kaliningrad region, on July 24 2009.