Lubiatowo-Kopalino Nuclear Power Plant, Choczewo, Pomerania, Poland

Poland’s first nuclear power plant now has a deal on the main terms. On Sept. 23, 2026, state-owned Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) and a Westinghouse-Bechtel consortium agreed the core commercial and legal terms of the engineering, procurement and construction contract for three AP1000 reactors at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in Choczewo, on the Baltic coast of Pomerania.

It isn’t a signed EPC yet. The remaining terms and appendices are still open, and both sides say they want them wrapped up by the end of 2026.

Project Scope

The plant pairs three Westinghouse AP1000 pressurized water reactors for 3,750 MWe in total. PEJ, a special purpose vehicle wholly owned by the Polish state treasury, filed for a construction licence with the National Atomic Energy Agency in March 2026 and handed the site to Bechtel in August.

Site prep is already the visible work. Budimex is doing earthworks, including grading, drainage improvements and temporary roads, and detailed geological surveys are continuing. Polimex Mostostal holds a Bechtel contract for two temporary module assembly buildings, each 129 m long, 55 m wide and 44 m high, fitted with two 125-tonne overhead cranes and a 60-tonne crane. Doraco, Unihouse, MSA Security and Barg M.B Gdańsk have also picked up site contracts, and Polish firms have about $250 million in work so far.

First nuclear concrete is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2028, subject to licensing. Each unit is expected to take about seven years to build plus a year of testing, with commercial operation planned for Unit 1 in 2036, Unit 2 in 2037 and Unit 3 in 2038. Global Construction Review reported that the total price could reach $37 billion.

Why It Matters

Poland still gets about half its power from coal, and this is the project meant to change that. It’s also the biggest test yet of whether the AP1000 can be built outside the U.S. on something closer to schedule than Vogtle managed. Westinghouse points to the second new Vogtle unit going up 30% more efficiently than the first. That’s the learning curve Poland is betting on.

Those module assembly halls are the tell. Bechtel’s plan leans on building big pieces under cover and lifting them into place, which moves risk from the reactor island into fabrication and crane planning. If that works, it’ll show up in the 2028 concrete date. If it slips, the slip will show up there first.

The commercial close still matters more than anything on site. Until the full EPC is signed and financing is locked, Lubiatowo-Kopalino is a well-prepared site with a target date, not a construction project.

Project Team & Details