Poland, a coal country, wants to use nuclear energy to meet climate goals, and France wants to sign a contract worth billions of euros, noted the German daily Die Welt on Thursday, adding that the new nuclear pact could turn the EU’s climate policy upside down, and then Germany will be left alone with its energy transformation plans.
In its text entitled “The new nuclear axis pushes Germany to the sidelines,” the daily recalled that on October 15, Jean-Bernard Levy, head of the French energy concern EDF, was received in Warsaw by the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
“It was a meeting that hardly anyone paid attention to”, but “it may be decisive for the goal announced by the European Commission, which is to bring the EU to climate neutrality by 2050. At stake is the future of the European energy industry,” the newspaper reported.
France “made an offer to PM Morawiecki to build nuclear power plants in Poland. Polish government circles claim that the offer is treated in Warsaw very seriously, and France has moved to a leading position in the race to win”, the daily wrote, adding that so far, not a single nuclear power plant has been built in Poland.
“However, it may change soon – there are four towns on the list of potential locations for the construction of the reactor,” Die Welt stressed that with the help of France, the investment volume would amount to EUR 25 bn, while the first power plant could be connected to the grid in 2033.
In the opinion of the daily, Germany’s big neighbours – France and Poland – will be “an influential duo when it comes to energy policy in Europe in the future, forcing Germany, which is at the same time withdrawing from coal and nuclear power generation, to link their concerns in the EU together with smaller partners such as Austria.”
Die Welt noted that from the end of 2019, the French “are looking for comrades-in-arms to declare nuclear energy the savior of the climate.” Thanks to Poland, Paris would gain an ally “in its lobbying activities in Brussels.”
Poland opting for two-front cooperation
“Warsaw counts on a neutral position of France in the dispute over the rule of law,” said Jakub Wiech, Polish nuclear energy expert and deputy editor-in-chief of the Energetyka24 magazine in an interview with Die Welt. In his opinion, the fact that Emmanuel Macron has recently been withholding criticism from the Polish government can be understood as the first sign of this.
Until recently, it was said that the US were focused on building a reactor in Poland, even signing a non-binding resolution on the matter. However, in February, Mr Macron personally promoted the involvement of the French nuclear industry in Poland, and in July, EDF opened an office in Warsaw. The French government even appointed a plenipotentiary for nuclear cooperation with Poland.
At the same time, as Die Welt stressed, “the Polish government expressed disappointment that US President Joe Biden stepped down in the dispute over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Warsaw is one of the most vocal critics of the German-Russian project, seeing it as a threat to Europe’s energy security.”
In Warsaw, however, they do not want to give the impression that they are taking revenge on the US. “From the Polish point of view, a French-American cooperation would be a very good solution,” Jakub Wiech told Die Welt. However, it is unlikely that Paris would agree to this, following their loss to the US in a tender to build submarines in Australia.
In Poland, the Confederation party, who is a big supporter of accelerating the construction of nuclear power plants, is collecting signatures on a motion to the Sejm Speaker Elżbieta Witek for an urgent debate on this matter. Representatives of the deputies’ circle also want the government to present information about the current situation in the energy and heating sectors.
Yes please, but can we finally fucking start? Im afraid this might be used as a political bargaining chip (as the article suggests) and the whole process will be delayed for who knows how long…
>In Warsaw, however, they do not want to give the impression that they are taking revenge on the US. “From the Polish point of view, a French-American cooperation would be a very good solution,” Jakub Wiech told Die Welt. However, it is unlikely that Paris would agree to this, following their loss to the US in a tender to build submarines in Australia.
I don’t think that the US would be concerned as long as Russia doesn’t have leverage over Europe’s energy supply at the end of the day, and France building a bunch of reactors would seem to solve that.
“However, it may change soon – there are four towns on the list of potential locations for the construction of the reactor,” Die Welt stressed that with the help of France, the investment volume would amount to EUR 25 bn, while the first power plant could be connected to the grid in 2033.”
Meanwhile, the French are building 1 nuclear plant in the U.K. at a cost of €25b, but they expect they can make 4 for the same price in Poland. When it was first planned it was said it would provide power from 2018, when in reality it won’t be ready until around 2025.
Similar situation to the latest plant in France: Flamanville was meant to cost €3.5b and be pumping power into the grid by 2012. Ooops! It’s now €20b and might be ready next year.
These two plants where just new reactors in existing nuclear plants too – the Polish ones will have to be built from scratch in brand new locations.
Good luck Poland, I’m sure France won’t double the price tag a few years into the start of the project.
Here’s hoping this might actually happen. With all due respect to Germany, not everyone wants to follow their route.
Poles should choose the most advantageous offer. Probably the best (market offer with no strings attached) offer will be from Korea. The French would have to make a fabulous offer for us to choose them, because so far France is:
– actively discriminating Polish companies operating on the French market,
– they are behind the mega hit on Polish transport: the provision on posted workers,
– French companies in PL cheat on taxes as much as possible, all major French companies have paid some penny taxes for the last 15 years (like 0.001% of income),
– they cheated us with numerous privatizations and were corrupting politicians: takeover of TP by Orange, heat and power plants, waterworks and many other industrial plants,
Fact that they sit so quietly when it comes to all these judgments of the CJEU and do not condemn us as much as the rest of the company says it all. It shows how much WEU countries care about values that they keep on the banners.
Before we start talking about the contract, it would be advisable to achieve a neutral status in these matters. It cannot be that they plow us financially and we give them the deal of the decade
good the more isolated germany is the better for europe
Good, it would be good for Poland and France.
I’ll lose all my respect for France if they’re going to close their eyes on Polish authoritarianism so they can sell nuclear reactors..
Poland need to start building these plants. They are talking about nuclear power in Poland for years.
Germany getting out of nuclear was just so unbelievably stupid but our politicians just seem keen on not revising the current path under any circumstances.
Next crisis : “The French are whining again, an American company won a contrat to build $100 billion worth of nuclear reactors in Poland”.
The “Ode to Building a Nuclear Powerplant In The 21st Century” is a more well played song and more memeable than the whole of Brexit multiplied by 4.
If you thought the UK threatening with “we are going to exit the EU any minute now”, for 5 years, was funny, wait until you’ve heard of the EPR reactors threatening with “we are going online any minute now” for a decade…
Can we trust Poland, though? Even in the comments here, redditors are suggesting that Poland makes a deal with Korea instead.
I guess we can give Poland a chance, but if that country continues to disrespect the EU and its members, let’s kick them out and they’ll be able to make all the favourable deals they want with other countries.
14 comments
Poland, a coal country, wants to use nuclear energy to meet climate goals, and France wants to sign a contract worth billions of euros, noted the German daily Die Welt on Thursday, adding that the new nuclear pact could turn the EU’s climate policy upside down, and then Germany will be left alone with its energy transformation plans.
In its text entitled “The new nuclear axis pushes Germany to the sidelines,” the daily recalled that on October 15, Jean-Bernard Levy, head of the French energy concern EDF, was received in Warsaw by the Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki.
“It was a meeting that hardly anyone paid attention to”, but “it may be decisive for the goal announced by the European Commission, which is to bring the EU to climate neutrality by 2050. At stake is the future of the European energy industry,” the newspaper reported.
France “made an offer to PM Morawiecki to build nuclear power plants in Poland. Polish government circles claim that the offer is treated in Warsaw very seriously, and France has moved to a leading position in the race to win”, the daily wrote, adding that so far, not a single nuclear power plant has been built in Poland.
“However, it may change soon – there are four towns on the list of potential locations for the construction of the reactor,” Die Welt stressed that with the help of France, the investment volume would amount to EUR 25 bn, while the first power plant could be connected to the grid in 2033.
In the opinion of the daily, Germany’s big neighbours – France and Poland – will be “an influential duo when it comes to energy policy in Europe in the future, forcing Germany, which is at the same time withdrawing from coal and nuclear power generation, to link their concerns in the EU together with smaller partners such as Austria.”
Die Welt noted that from the end of 2019, the French “are looking for comrades-in-arms to declare nuclear energy the savior of the climate.” Thanks to Poland, Paris would gain an ally “in its lobbying activities in Brussels.”
Poland opting for two-front cooperation
“Warsaw counts on a neutral position of France in the dispute over the rule of law,” said Jakub Wiech, Polish nuclear energy expert and deputy editor-in-chief of the Energetyka24 magazine in an interview with Die Welt. In his opinion, the fact that Emmanuel Macron has recently been withholding criticism from the Polish government can be understood as the first sign of this.
Until recently, it was said that the US were focused on building a reactor in Poland, even signing a non-binding resolution on the matter. However, in February, Mr Macron personally promoted the involvement of the French nuclear industry in Poland, and in July, EDF opened an office in Warsaw. The French government even appointed a plenipotentiary for nuclear cooperation with Poland.
At the same time, as Die Welt stressed, “the Polish government expressed disappointment that US President Joe Biden stepped down in the dispute over the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline. Warsaw is one of the most vocal critics of the German-Russian project, seeing it as a threat to Europe’s energy security.”
In Warsaw, however, they do not want to give the impression that they are taking revenge on the US. “From the Polish point of view, a French-American cooperation would be a very good solution,” Jakub Wiech told Die Welt. However, it is unlikely that Paris would agree to this, following their loss to the US in a tender to build submarines in Australia.
In Poland, the Confederation party, who is a big supporter of accelerating the construction of nuclear power plants, is collecting signatures on a motion to the Sejm Speaker Elżbieta Witek for an urgent debate on this matter. Representatives of the deputies’ circle also want the government to present information about the current situation in the energy and heating sectors.
Yes please, but can we finally fucking start? Im afraid this might be used as a political bargaining chip (as the article suggests) and the whole process will be delayed for who knows how long…
>In Warsaw, however, they do not want to give the impression that they are taking revenge on the US. “From the Polish point of view, a French-American cooperation would be a very good solution,” Jakub Wiech told Die Welt. However, it is unlikely that Paris would agree to this, following their loss to the US in a tender to build submarines in Australia.
I don’t think that the US would be concerned as long as Russia doesn’t have leverage over Europe’s energy supply at the end of the day, and France building a bunch of reactors would seem to solve that.
“However, it may change soon – there are four towns on the list of potential locations for the construction of the reactor,” Die Welt stressed that with the help of France, the investment volume would amount to EUR 25 bn, while the first power plant could be connected to the grid in 2033.”
Meanwhile, the French are building 1 nuclear plant in the U.K. at a cost of €25b, but they expect they can make 4 for the same price in Poland. When it was first planned it was said it would provide power from 2018, when in reality it won’t be ready until around 2025.
Similar situation to the latest plant in France: Flamanville was meant to cost €3.5b and be pumping power into the grid by 2012. Ooops! It’s now €20b and might be ready next year.
These two plants where just new reactors in existing nuclear plants too – the Polish ones will have to be built from scratch in brand new locations.
Good luck Poland, I’m sure France won’t double the price tag a few years into the start of the project.
Here’s hoping this might actually happen. With all due respect to Germany, not everyone wants to follow their route.
Poles should choose the most advantageous offer. Probably the best (market offer with no strings attached) offer will be from Korea. The French would have to make a fabulous offer for us to choose them, because so far France is:
– actively discriminating Polish companies operating on the French market,
– they are behind the mega hit on Polish transport: the provision on posted workers,
– French companies in PL cheat on taxes as much as possible, all major French companies have paid some penny taxes for the last 15 years (like 0.001% of income),
– they cheated us with numerous privatizations and were corrupting politicians: takeover of TP by Orange, heat and power plants, waterworks and many other industrial plants,
Fact that they sit so quietly when it comes to all these judgments of the CJEU and do not condemn us as much as the rest of the company says it all. It shows how much WEU countries care about values that they keep on the banners.
Before we start talking about the contract, it would be advisable to achieve a neutral status in these matters. It cannot be that they plow us financially and we give them the deal of the decade
good the more isolated germany is the better for europe
Good, it would be good for Poland and France.
I’ll lose all my respect for France if they’re going to close their eyes on Polish authoritarianism so they can sell nuclear reactors..
Poland need to start building these plants. They are talking about nuclear power in Poland for years.
Germany getting out of nuclear was just so unbelievably stupid but our politicians just seem keen on not revising the current path under any circumstances.
Next crisis : “The French are whining again, an American company won a contrat to build $100 billion worth of nuclear reactors in Poland”.
The “Ode to Building a Nuclear Powerplant In The 21st Century” is a more well played song and more memeable than the whole of Brexit multiplied by 4.
If you thought the UK threatening with “we are going to exit the EU any minute now”, for 5 years, was funny, wait until you’ve heard of the EPR reactors threatening with “we are going online any minute now” for a decade…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EPR_(nuclear_reactor)
Can we trust Poland, though? Even in the comments here, redditors are suggesting that Poland makes a deal with Korea instead.
I guess we can give Poland a chance, but if that country continues to disrespect the EU and its members, let’s kick them out and they’ll be able to make all the favourable deals they want with other countries.