Strengthening Poland’s Nuclear Strategy through Financing, Small Modular Reactors, and International Collaboration

The Clean Air Task Force (CATF) recommends that Poland update its nuclear strategy to include a transparent financing model, a clear role for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), and a detailed roadmap for its second nuclear power plant (EJ2). The report argues that nuclear power is essential for Poland's decarbonisation, noting that in some modelled scenarios, nuclear capacity could reach 21 GW by 2050. CATF specifically advises against the reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel due to proliferation risks and suggests that Poland leverage SMRs to decarbonise industrial sites and district heating. Additionally, the report calls for stronger regional collaboration within Central and Eastern Europe to build a resilient nuclear supply chain and workforce.

• Nuclear power is projected to play a significant role in Poland's power system transformation by 2050, with modelled capacity ranging from 8 GW in a base case (15% of annual generation) to 21 GW.
• Poland faces a lack of long-term revenue assurance mechanisms for nuclear energy, which increases investment risk and may lead to financial losses if reactors are curtailed during periods of high renewable energy output.
• Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) are identified as a key tool for decarbonising Polish industry and district heating, offering land-use efficiency with a typical 300 MWe site occupying less than 100 hectares.
• The current draft of the Polish Nuclear Power Programme (PPEJ) lacks a specific development pathway for the second nuclear power plant (EJ2), which CATF argues increases uncertainty for stakeholders and investors.
• CATF strongly recommends that Poland abandon plans to reprocess spent nuclear fuel to avoid the proliferation risks associated with a 'plutonium economy'.
• Public support for nuclear energy in Poland is high, with November 2024 polls showing 93% of citizens favour building reactors and 80% accept installations near their homes.

APA

Qvist, M., Lagurashvili, T., & Janisz, E. (2025). Strengthening Poland’s Nuclear Strategy through Financing, Small Modular Reactors, and International Collaboration. Clean Air Task Force. https://www.catf.us/resource/strengthening-polands-nuclear-strategy-through-financing-small-modular-reactors-and-international-collaboration/

Chicago

Qvist, Malwina, Tamara Lagurashvili, and Emilia Janisz. Strengthening Poland’s Nuclear Strategy through Financing, Small Modular Reactors, and International Collaboration. Clean Air Task Force, 2025. https://www.catf.us/resource/strengthening-polands-nuclear-strategy-through-financing-small-modular-reactors-and-international-collaboration/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Qvist |first1=Malwina |last2=Lagurashvili |first2=Tamara |last3=Janisz |first3=Emilia |title=Strengthening Poland’s Nuclear Strategy through Financing, Small Modular Reactors, and International Collaboration |publisher=Clean Air Task Force |date=6 August 2025 |url=https://www.catf.us/resource/strengthening-polands-nuclear-strategy-through-financing-small-modular-reactors-and-international-collaboration/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{qvist2025strengthening, author = {Qvist, Malwina and Lagurashvili, Tamara and Janisz, Emilia}, title = {{Strengthening Poland’s Nuclear Strategy through Financing, Small Modular Reactors, and International Collaboration}}, institution = {Clean Air Task Force}, year = {2025}, month = aug, url = {https://www.catf.us/resource/strengthening-polands-nuclear-strategy-through-financing-small-modular-reactors-and-international-collaboration/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }