Poland has moved a step closer to building its first-ever nuclear power station. On 2 November, the state-owned company behind the project, Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ), applied for a permit to begin “early works” at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site on the Baltic coast. This is the clearest sign yet that one of the largest infrastructure projects in the country’s history is finally getting off the ground.
What “Early Works” Actually Means
The application, submitted to the governor of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, is not a request to start building reactors. Instead, it covers the groundwork: the non-nuclear infrastructure that has to be in place before the main construction can begin. Under Polish law, these activities can go ahead without a separate licence from the national nuclear regulator, the National Atomic Energy Agency (PAA), because they do not touch the safety-critical parts of the plant.
In practical terms, the early works include laying the onshore section of the plant’s cooling-water system and the pipes that will draw seawater in to cool the reactors and return it afterwards. The PAA has classified this system as not safety-related, which is why it can be built ahead of the main licences. Interestingly, the pipes will be installed beneath the beach and the seabed of the Baltic using a trenchless method, avoiding the need to dig up the shoreline. The works also cover a basin to collect rainwater and meltwater, internal roads, and launch pits for the tunnel boring machine.
A Law Written to Speed Things Up
The whole mechanism of “early works” is new. It was created by an amendment to Poland’s nuclear investment law passed on 3 July 2026, specifically designed to streamline the construction of the country’s first plant by letting certain activities begin before the main project phase. The permit application is, in effect, the first real-world test of that legislation.
Energy Minister Miłosz Motyka described the plant as the largest energy project in Poland’s history and said the rules had been changed precisely to get it moving faster. PEJ’s chief executive, Marek Woszczyk, said the application mattered on two fronts: it lets the company begin basic, non-nuclear work without waiting for further approvals, and it would not have been possible without the swift legislative changes agreed with the government.
Three American Reactors on the Baltic
The plant itself will be built around three Westinghouse AP1000 reactors, the American-designed pressurised water reactor already in service in the United States and China. Poland picked the US technology as the backbone of its nuclear programme, and the engineering giant Bechtel is acting as general contractor. Bechtel took over management of the site in August as earthworks began and is now running both the construction preparation and the deep geological surveys, onshore and offshore.
The groundwork has been building for a while. PEJ first applied to fence and survey the roughly 300-hectare site back in August 2024 and is now in the second phase of preparatory works. Clearing the site’s vegetation has required mitigation measures to protect the environment, including relocating plants and installing bird and bat boxes. Last month, Westinghouse placed conditional orders for safety-related components with four Polish companies, a sign that the domestic supply chain is beginning to gear up.
The Road Ahead
PEJ is preparing to apply for the all-important construction permit in 2027, with full construction of the plant itself scheduled to begin in 2028. Under a recent update to Poland’s nuclear programme, the first reactor is due to start commercial operation in 2036, with the plant reaching full output by 2038, three years later than originally planned.
For a country still heavily dependent on coal, the stakes are high. Poland has long had one of the most carbon-intensive electricity systems in the European Union, and nuclear power is central to its plan to change that. The permit filed this week is a modest, technical step. But after years of planning, it is the kind of step that signals a project moving from paper into the ground.
World Nuclear News (2026). PEJ applies for early works permit for nuclear power plant. 2 November 2026. https://www.world-nuclear-news.org/articles/pej-applies-for-early-works-permit-for-nuclear-power-plant
Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) — Poland’s nuclear power plant project: https://pej.pl/