Nuclear power plant in Pomerania – opportunities and risks. Sea transport necessary
An energy node will be built in Poland in Pomerania. Its central element is to be a nuclear power plant. The energy sector based on wind farms, solar energy and biomass energy is developing dynamically in Pomerania. Offshore wind farms are planned. The construction of a nuclear power plant in the Pomeranian Voivodeship was discussed during the conference “Nuclear power plant in Pomerania – opportunities and risks. Is there an alternative?”
Conference “Nuclear power plant in Pomerania – opportunities and risks. Is there an alternative?” led by Stanisław Szultka – director of the Department of Economic Development of the Pomeranian Voivodeship Marshal’s Office. Is there an alternative? Mieczysław Struk, Marshal of the Pomeranian Voivodeship, officially welcomed the participants, including: Anna Łukaszewska-Trzeciakowska – Secretary of State, Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure, Chancellery of the Prime Minister; Dariusz Drelich – Pomeranian Voivode, as well as MPs, senators, experts, professors, vice-rectors, councilors of the Pomeranian Voivodeship Assembly, representatives of the investor – Polish Nuclear Power Plants, representatives of contractors.
We are aware that the Pomeranian Voivodeship is not self-sufficient in terms of electricity production, and the construction of a nuclear power plant may be a stimulus for the development of new branches of economy and science, said Marshal Mieczysław Struk. We want local enterprises to be able to participate in this investment. However, we cannot forget about the risks associated with the construction of a nuclear power plant. – said the Pomeranian Marshal.
“Poland’s energy policy. Why do we need nuclear energy?”, presented by Anna Łukaszewska-Trzeciakowska – Secretary of State, Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister. She emphasized that there is no alternative to this investment. This can be seen in the example of Germany, where the system lacks approximately 5 gigawatts of power. Germany has become a net importer of electricity, among others. from Sweden and France – where nuclear energy is highly developed. Atom is safe, emission-free, relatively cheap – explained Anna Łukaszewska-Trzeciakowska – Secretary of State, Government Plenipotentiary for Strategic Energy Infrastructure in the Chancellery of the Prime Minister.
During the conference, a debate took place: “Nuclear power plant – an opportunity or a threat?” Moderator: Stanisław Szultka – director of the Economic Development Department of the Municipal Office of the Mayor of Warsaw. Participants: Stanisław Lamczyk – senator of the Republic of Poland; prof. Jan Popczyk – Silesian University of Technology; prof. Sylwia Mrozowska – University of Gdańsk; prof. Waldemar Kamrat – Gdańsk University of Technology; Mirosław Kowalik – Westinghouse Polska; Jerzy Lipka – Citizens’ Nuclear Energy Movement; Hanna Trybusiewicz – SONON Bałtyckie-SOS; Radosław Gawlik – Eco-Unia; Marcin Popkiewicz – journalist for climate – independent expert.
– In my opinion, the nuclear power plant that will be built in Pomerania will certainly be a strong support for what is happening in the world in general, i.e. the creation of local energy communities – says Prof. Marek Grzybowski – president of the Baltic Maritime and Space Cluster.
– When the “Żarnowiec” power plant was planned, there was no developed activity related to onshore and offshore wind farms, nor was there any activity related to the use of solar panels. I’m talking about social activity. Now society has understood that it can build local energy communities based on energy obtained from wind, sun and biomass. The state’s energy security means becoming independent from the supply of fossil energy raw materials, which include not only coal but also gas and oil, and relying on sources of electricity that will ensure the functioning of the state as a whole. Everyone is aware that the functioning of hospitals, industrial infrastructure and logistics infrastructure depend on stable energy sources. Turning off the electricity for 2-3 days disables the functioning of hospitals, logistics, mobile phones, banks and we are unable to ensure energy security in the power grid and energy supply based on local energy communities.
Is a nuclear power plant the best solution? Hard to say. However, it is certainly best to locate the nuclear power plant on the coast, because most of the oversized elements for the construction of this power plant will be delivered by sea, and thanks to this, the power plant during construction will be less harmful to the land environment, because the land transport infrastructure will undoubtedly be disrupted by such a large investment – as always. And here we must use the experience of people and companies and, at the same time, countries that have built such infrastructure facilities, so as not to make the mistakes that these countries have made.
However, there is another important dispute that arose during the construction of offshore wind farms: some companies withdraw from the construction of wind farms because they wrote their business plans incorrectly and did not foresee the risks of long-term investments. The construction of a nuclear power plant is a long-term investment. It will take longer to build than the shipping canal, which has not been underestimated, and very solid projections related to the financing of this construction need to be carried out so that there is no situation like in the case of “Żarnowiec” – that the construction will be interrupted halfway through – said Prof. Marek Grzybowski – president of the Baltic Maritime and Space Cluster.