- Polish energy group Orlen will build the country’s first small modular nuclear power plant (SMR) in Wloclawek.
- Poland remains one of Europe’s most coal-dependent economies, but rapid growth in renewables, new gas capacity, and now nuclear plans are reshaping the generation mix.
Polish energy group Orlen will build the country’s first small modular nuclear power plant (SMR) in Wloclawek, after reaching a technology and project agreement with partner Synthos Green Energy.
The plant will use GE Hitachi’s BWRX-300 design, which Orlen says would be the first of its kind deployed in Europe.
To deliver the project, Orlen and Synthos will form a 50/50 joint venture, Orlen Synthos Green Energy (OSGE). The JV will hold full access rights to the BWRX-300 technology, allowing it to proceed with site, licensing, and procurement steps leading to construction at Orlen’s priority location in Wloclawek.
Orlen’s chief executive, Ireneusz Fafara, called the project “the energy of tomorrow,” framing it as a cornerstone of the company’s plan to add at least two SMR units totalling 0.6 GW by 2035. The move aligns with Poland’s broader push to cut coal reliance and decarbonise power while reinforcing energy security.
Warsaw cleared the way for a fleet of small reactors in 2023, approving up to 24 SMR units across six sites. The Wloclawek project advances that strategy and complements Poland’s separate large-reactor program, while offering modular build-out, smaller footprints, and potentially faster schedules than conventional gigawatt-scale plants.
Poland remains one of Europe’s most coal-dependent economies, but rapid growth in renewables, new gas capacity, and now nuclear plans are reshaping the generation mix.
Orlen describes the BWRX-300 as a mature, advanced SMR platform designed to lower capital costs through standardisation and factory fabrication—factors the partners say are critical to meeting mid-2030s commissioning targets.