"The contract concerns the design of a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR – PAP)," Krzysztof Kurek (L), the director of the National Centre for Nuclear Research, said during the contract-signing ceremony.
Rafał Guz/PAP

The Ministry of Education and Science and the National Centre for Nuclear Research in Świerk, in north-western Poland, signed a contract for the design of a High-Temperature Nuclear Reactor (HTGR) on Wednesday.

“The contract concerns the design of a high-temperature gas-cooled reactor (HTGR – PAP),” Krzysztof Kurek, the director of the National Centre for Nuclear Research, said during the contract-signing ceremony. “This type of a reactor is currently operating for research purposes in Japan. In cooperation with the Japanese side, we want to adapt this kind of reactor for the needs of Świerk.”

The contract for the reactor forms part of a new Polish energy policy that will shift the country away from fossil fuels towards renewable and nuclear energy.

In total, Poland will invest approximately EUR 33.7 billion in nuclear energy and plans to build six reactors in the years 2033-2043, with a capacity of six to nine gigawatts.

Kurek pointed out that that the reactor would not only serve research purposes at the institute, but would also be a technology demonstrator, and he added that, in his opinion, nuclear technology was the future of Poland.

Education Minister Przemysław Czarnek said that the decision to allocate PLN 60 million (EUR 13 million) for the technical design of the research reactor will strengthen cooperation with Poland’s Japanese partners, which are helping it develop its nuclear technology.

“Ultimately, it provides an opportunity for a reactor to arise, in Świerk, at the National Centre for Nuclear Research… which will allow us, in Poland, to produce hydrogen, to produce the fuel of the future and, indeed, to look after the climate and the environment, at the highest global level,” Czarnek stated.