In a September 23, 2026 press release by the American engineering firm Bechtel, its consortium with Westinghouse Electric Company and the Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) reached an agreement on the main commercial terms of the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract for the plant at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in the Choczewo municipality, Pomerania.
The Agreement Reached
While the agreement covers the main commercial terms, it does not yet consist of the signing of the final EPC contract. As PEJ President Marek Woszczyk emphasized in the statement, the arrangements “form the basis for further, detailed negotiations regarding the remaining terms of cooperation under the EPC contract.” As a reminder, the proposed power plant will utilize Westinghouse AP1000® reactor technology, which is the same technology Bechtel and Westinghouse employed to build Units 3 and 4 at the Vogtle plant in Georgia, the first new nuclear reactors constructed in the U.S. in over three decades.
American Technology Built with Polish Subcontractors
Dena Volovar, President of Nuclear, Security & Environmental at Bechtel, emphasized in a statement that the company has “designed, built, or supported 150 nuclear power plants over the course of 80 years” and is bringing this experience to Poland, all while simultaneously building local capabilities. According to data provided by Bechtel, nearly 200 Polish citizens are already working on the project, with another 100 currently being recruited. Polish companies have so far been awarded contracts worth over 1 billion PLN (which can be approximated to roughly 250 million USD), amongst them Budimex, Doraco, Unihouse, MSA Security, and Barg M.B. Gdańsk. It should be noted that Bechtel has also signed cooperation agreements with three Polish universities to train the future workforce in the industry.
Construction Site Progress
On-site work is proceeding simultaneously with contract negotiations. As we previously stated, PEJ handed over the construction site to Bechtel in August 2026, and the second stage of preparatory work is currently underway: site leveling, modernization of drainage systems, construction of temporary roads, and detailed geological surveys. In March 2026, PEJ applied for a construction permit to the National Atomic Energy Agency, and plans to apply for the building permit itself next year.
Broader Implications of the Project
The Choczewo project is one of the largest joint economic ventures between the United States and Poland in history, and it would represent the first large-scale, long-term export of American nuclear technology to Central Europe. The collaboration was initiated in a 2021 intergovernmental agreement, and the U.S. Department of Energy has since regularly emphasized that Poland’s energy security is integral to the security of the entire region. Given today’s complex geo-political context, in the light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the oil shortages caused by conflicts in the middle-east, that sentiment may be as strong as ever.
In its statement, Bechtel also highlights the symbolic significance of the investment: “countries building new nuclear capacity choose long-term partners, not just technology.” In this case, Poland opted for a partnership with the U.S., a move that, as Bechtel note, strengthens the energy security of not only Poland but all of Europe, while demonstrating that American firms are capable of delivering advanced nuclear projects to allies worldwide. Upon completion, Choczewo is set to become a new hub for the nuclear industry in Central Europe, capable of servicing future projects in the region.
Polish engineering, construction, and technology firms back in the United States seeking partners or clients locally can be found in the Polish Pages directory.
