Bechtel ties up with Toshiba on Poland's first nuclear plant

Bechtel has signed an MoU with Toshiba America Energy Systems and Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions to pursue a new civil nuclear power plant project in Poland.

Toshiba is the latest company to join the group of US and Polish companies organising a team led by Bechtel and Westinghouse Electric Company. The plant would be Poland's first nuclear power station as the country transitions away from coal-fired energy while maintaining its energy independence.

"Any new nuclear plant requires expertise from proven companies with the required certifications," said Ahmet Tokpinar, general manager of Bechtel's Nuclear Power business line. "Toshiba has supplied steam turbines, generators, and services to power plants of all types for nearly 100 years."

Yuki Arima, business unit manager, Power Systems Div., Toshiba Energy Systems & Solutions Corporation, said: "As demand for low-carbon and stable energy sources increases, Toshiba has been working closely with our clients and partners to successfully deliver safe and reliable nuclear power solutions that make a positive impact across the world."

Bechtel and Westinghouse are jointly preparing a front-end engineering design for the Polish government's consideration for a three-unit plant on the Baltic Sea coast. The plant would use proven Westinghouse AP1000 reactors. The companies are also engaging with the Czech Republic on the possible expansion of that country's civil nuclear power program.

The engineering and construction company continues to expand its nuclear profile internationally. It is currently completing construction of the only new nuclear power plant under construction in the United States, serving as the engineering, procurement, and construction partner with TerraPower for the Natrium advanced reactor demonstration plant in the state of Wyoming.

The sustainable energy programs Bechtel is involved in include:

• Clearway Energy’s Black Rock wind farm in West Virginia, set to boost the state’s wind power by nearly 15%;
• Advanced Power’s Cutlass Solar project in Texas that will power some 15,000 homes with zero-carbon electricity;
• Advanced Power’s 1,182 MW combined-cycle South Field Energy Facility in Ohio that provides clean and reliable energy for more than a million homes;
• The US Gulf Coast LNG projects at Sabine Pass and Corpus Christi that are helping Cheniere Energy export liquified natural gas to replace more carbon-intensive fuels;
• Woodside Energy’s new additions to its Pluto LNG facility in Australia; 
  
• Vogtle Units 3&4 in Georgia that will supply carbon-free nuclear power to more than a million homes and businesses, along with the existing Units 1&2.

Toshiba recently concluded a Renewable Energy Aggregation Service Agreement for a Solar Power Plant in Kagoshima Prefecture. The plant is expected to start operations by the summer and to be covered by the FIP system by early 2023. In April, Toshiba ESS won a major order from a joint venture, Fukushima Reconstruction Wind Power GK, to supply 46 wind turbines.