EDF offers to build up to 6 nuclear reactors in Poland

French energy giant EDF on Wednesday submitted an offer to build up to six nuclear reactors in Poland, which is trying to overhaul its coal-based energy sector to reach carbon neutrality.

The company said in a statement that its offer was to build four to six third generation EPR reactors at two to three sites which would satisfy up to 60 percent of current electricity demand.

It said the offer was “in support of Poland’s ambitious energy transition plan” and would bolster its energy independence.

The reactors would provide electricity for at least 60 years and each pair of reactors would create around 25,000 jobs as well as tens of thousands of indirect jobs, EDF said.

The company did not disclose the value of its offer.

Poland currently depends on coal for about 70 percent of its electricity generation but has promised to shut all its coal mines by 2049 in line with European Union carbon neutrality goals.

As part of its transition, the Polish state wants to develop a nuclear sector and is to choose a foreign partner in 2022.

So far, French, US and South Korean companies are in the running.

Several Polish companies and business leaders have also signalled an interest in small modular reactor (SMR) technology in recent months to avoid the costs and timings of larger structures.

SMRs were designed to be built in factory assembly lines and then transported to power plants.

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