The German states of Brandenburg, Saxony, and Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania have objected to the planned construction of a new nuclear power plant in Poland, it has emerged.
Warsaw plans to start the construction of the plant in 2026 with the first reactor estimated to be up and running in 2033. The Polish government selected U.S. firm Westinghouse as its technology partner.
However, formal objections have been sent to Warsaw by multiple German states just before the deadline of Dec. 13 for mandatory consultations required by law prior to construction of the nuclear power plant.
A statement on the website of Brandenburg’s Ministry of Consumer Protection read: “Due to nuclear incidents in Chernobyl and Fukushima, further plans of using nuclear energy should be dropped for the good of inhabitants and environment of Baltic region countries.”
On Nov. 2, the Polish government adopted a resolution on the construction of a nuclear power plant in a preferred location of Lubiatowo-Kopalino on the Baltic Sea shore “to guarantee required power of the single reactor, maximization of non-emission and stable production capacity.”
Poland selected the location, which is some 400 kilometers from Berlin, partly due to “the conditions created by the national electro-energy system and the characteristics of security systems used in the nuclear reactors.”
On Wednesday, Poland’s Climate Minister Anna Moskwa confirmed on Polsat News that the first reactor will be constructed in 2033 at the latest.
“Decisions and documents still lie ahead of us, but 2033 is very likely. The construction starting in 2026 is also very realistic, as we selected the technology today,” she said.
