Skip to content Skip to footer
News

AGH UST begins cooperation with Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe

A young woman scientist wearing a white lab coat and protective cap. She is looking at the representation of an atom displayed on a virtual screen.

AGH UST begins cooperation with Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe

On February 15, 2023, the AGH UST concluded an agreement with the Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) Company, which is the investor of the first nuclear power plant in Poland. The agreement includes cooperation in educating personnel and joint efforts to develop technologies useful for the nuclear power industry.

The fundamental aim of the agreement between the AGH UST and the PEJ is the education of staff crucial to the devlopment of nuclear power in Poland. The contract covers the development of nuclear technologies and other technologies that are essential for this industry, as well as the implementation of activities that support the development of the energy sector in Poland.

The project to construct the first nuclear power plant in Poland is not only based on technology and workmanship. It also means an opportunity to improve our personnel potential, which we should make the most of. Considering the span of Polish energy projects, including nuclear power, implementing them requires coordinated actions and the participation of many institutions and entities at various stages (i.e. construction and later use of the facilities). Therefore, we will encourage both large and medium companies alike to cooperate on this, especially Polish enterprises from the following industries: chemical, metallurgical, metal processing, engineering, electrical engineering and automatic control, logistics, machines, as well as related services. The higher the percentage of domestic companies in the project, the greater the positive economic impact. Let’s not forget that each nuclear block will provide even up to 4,000 reliable jobs for various experts; both directly on the premises of the nuclear power plant and within industries related to its operation. The need for professional knowledge and specialised technical qualifications will continue to grow day by day. We would like to see a training centre in Poland and be a regional hub not only in relation to renewable energy sources but also to other branches of energy’, said Anna Moskwa, Minister of Climate and Environment.

The entire energy sector in Poland is destined for a fundamental reorganisation. One of its most important elements will be the education of personnel in the field of nuclear power. Graduates in related fields of study will soon join the staff ranks of the most prospective and significant sector in Poland, also in relation to the energy security of the country. Education in this area has been offered at the AGH UST for many years. However, now we will intensify it with the marked support of professional experts. Cooperation with the Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe Company gives our students the opportunity to be trained by specialists already during their studies and immersed in the process of launching the first nuclear power plant in Poland’, emphasised Prof. Jerzy Lis, AGH UST Rector. 

Constructing the first nuclear power plant in Poland is a long and very complex project. The AGH UST is our natural choice as a partner in this endeavour, because this is a university that has prominent successes in research and educational activities in the field of exact sciences, including exactly those related to the energy industry. I believe that close cooperation with the AGH University of Science and Technology will allow us, as an investor, to tackle the challenges we are facing’, highlighted Tomasz Stępień, President of the Management Board of Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe.

As part of the agreement, Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe is obliged to prepare and carry out selected classes by the company’s employees and to assess and provide feedback on the programme of study. This will help our graduates acquire the necessary knowledge and skills on the job market in the nuclear power sector. The cooperation also includes paid internships for the best alumni of selected fields of study related to nuclear power.

During the previous year, the construction work of the first nuclear power plant in Poland, which is expected to be built in the north of Poland, has accelerated markedly. Currently, the project is in the stage of obtaining administrative approvals, including the so-called ‘environmental procedure on national and cross-border levels’, and the company with its partners enters the design phase. In relation to the intensification of activities, the need for Polish specialists and experts in the field of nuclear power will increase. 

Photo: Zbigniew Sulima

The photo shows the signers of the agreement during the act of signing. Two smiling men in suits sit next to each other against the backdrop of banners of their respective institutions.

Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe sp. z o.o. is responsible for the development of the investment process and funding the construction project of the nuclear power plant with a total capacity between 6 and 9 GWe, based on tested, large-scale generation III(+) pressurised water reactors, as well as their potential operation. The company also supports the government administration in the implementation of the Polish Nuclear Power Programme and the execution of the agreement between the Polish and US governments related to the cooperation in developing nuclear power used for civil purposes and the civil nuclear power industry in Poland. More details www.ppej.pl/en.

Stopka