Westinghouse has placed conditional purchase orders with four Polish companies for safety-related modules for the first AP1000 reactor at Lubiatowo-Kopalino, in Pomerania. The companies are Energomontaż-Północ Gdynia (EPG), FAMAK, Mostostal Kielce and Mostostal Krakow. The contracts were signed in Warsaw on 13 October during the fourth Nuclear Industry Congress organized by IGEOS.
Each company has a specific work package. Mostostal Kielce will handle the CA02 wall modules, EPG the CA03 module, Mostostal Krakow the CA05 wall modules and FAMAK the CA20 floor modules. The CA02 and CA03 modules are part of the in-containment refueling water storage tank. The CA05 consists of reinforced steel plates that form the walls.
The full award of the work is not yet final. Westinghouse will grant it after NQA-1 certification, the quality standard for nuclear activities, and after the production of qualification prototypes. The four firms are already moving toward full compliance under the US company’s supplier development program.
The orders come one week after the green light from Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ), which instructed Westinghouse to begin procuring long-lead components for the first unit. According to PEJ, the package covers six key nuclear island components, including the reactor containment vessel and associated structural modules. The Choczewo site will host a total of three AP1000 reactors.
The use of local factories follows from the nature of the design itself. The AP1000 relies on modular construction: large steel and concrete structures are prefabricated in a factory and then assembled on site. The reactor building and its systems are made up of dozens of such modules. Those who manufacture them must meet nuclear-grade quality requirements, and for Polish companies this is an entry into a supply chain that was previously out of reach.
Dan Lipman, president of Global Business Initiatives at Westinghouse, said the company has been impressed by the technical capabilities of Polish industry and by the immediate contribution local suppliers can make. Marek Woszczyk, president of the PEJ management board, described the orders as tangible proof that Polish companies are getting closer to building the country’s first nuclear power plant.
Westinghouse also points to a broader goal. Companies that obtain certification will be able to take part in other AP1000 projects in Poland, in Europe and around the world. The vendor currently has six AP1000s in operation, 14 under construction and another five already under contract. For Polish suppliers, NQA-1 qualification is therefore valuable well beyond national borders.
