Bechtel forges partnerships with Polish companies for civil nuclear program

Nuclear industry leader signs 12 Polish companies to MOU for future work

Bechtel, a trusted leader in engineering, construction, and project management, signed Memoranda of Understanding with 12 Polish companies for the potential development of two new civil nuclear power plants as that nation seeks to transition to cleaner energy sources while retaining its independence. The MOUs were signed during a ceremony at the U.S. ambassador’s residence in Warsaw.

The companies provide services ranging from earthwork and infrastructure construction to concrete, tunnelling, electrical installations, and heavy cranes.

“Construction of these power plants would require Polish expertise and thousands of skilled, Polish workers,” said Ahmet Tokpinar, general manager of Bechtel’s Nuclear Power business line. “As the EPC partner for these projects, Bechtel intends to join with a large number of Polish companies as key members of our subcontracting team. Now is the time to identify these future partners in the supply chain.”

U.S. Ambassador to Poland Mark Brzezinski said, “This signals another important step forward in a project that will bring our countries even closer together over a 100-year partnership. The U.S. Embassy in Poland is pleased to support Bechtel and Westinghouse as they select local Polish suppliers for this strategic project.”

Bechtel and Westinghouse Electric Company are jointly preparing a front-end engineering design for the government’s consideration for a three-reactor plant on the Baltic Sea coast. The plant, using Westinghouse AP1000 reactors, would be Poland’s first civil nuclear power plant.

The first 12 companies signing the MOUs include some of Poland’s largest and leading firms in heavy construction and engineering:

BAKS – Electrical cable route manufacturing.
Budimex – General contractor in infrastructure sectors: road, rail, airport; building construction, energy, industrial and environmental.
Doraco – General contractor, construction, tunnelling, and assembly.
Energoprojekt – Katowice SA – Engineering for power, chemical, petrochemical, and industrial installations.
Hitachi Energy Poland – Manufacture of transformers, high voltage products, enterprise software, and substation automation systems
ILF – Engineering of industrial and infrastructure projects
KB Pomorze – Engineering, procurement, construction of refineries, petrochemical plants, handling and storage terminals
Mostostal Warzsawa – General contractor across all sectors
Polimex Mostostal – General contractor and engineering in the energy, petrochemical, and environmental protection sectors.
Protea Group – Cranes, lifting, and handling equipment
Vistal Gdynia S.A. – Stell fabrication and module assembly
Zarmen – Electrical installations, manufacture of power equipment
More agreements will follow in the future.

Bechtel and Westinghouse bring hands-on expertise to nuclear construction. Bechtel has built or serviced more than 80 reactors in the U.S. and 150 worldwide in all major designs. Bechtel is currently completing construction of the only nuclear power plant expansion underway in the United States, at Plant Vogtle in the state of Georgia. That two-unit expansion also employs Westinghouse AP1000 reactors.