Staff for nuclear power – 10,000 people. Polish Nuclear Power Plants are fishing widely

In December 2028, a sea of ​​concrete will be poured at the construction site of the first nuclear power plant in Poland – this is a symbolic start from which there will be no turning back. The first unit of the power plant is to be launched eight years later – in 2036. But this requires a lot of people. At the peak of construction, up to 10,000 people, and then various specialists, also in everyday security management.

For this purpose, Polish Nuclear Power Plants (PEJ) and the Academy of War Arts (ASW) in Warsaw have signed a cooperation agreement. The agreement assumes joint activities regarding the preparation, construction, operation and functioning of nuclear supervision in the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

Safety first – new fields of study at the Academy of War Arts

The university from Rembertów will adapt or modify the existing ASW study programs to meet the needs of the growing nuclear energy sector in Poland. We are talking about bachelor’s and master’s studies, training and courses. – We want to do our part to ensure that the construction, operation and operation of the power plant are based on the highest safety standards – emphasized the retired general. Mieczysław Gocuł, rector of the Academy of War Arts.

– The Polish nuclear energy program is an undertaking of fundamental importance for national security, both in the strict dimension, the energy one related to the production of electricity, and in the broader, strategic dimension. Its implementation requires not only proven technologies, but above all, highly qualified staff and a strong expert base – explained Prof. Maciej Sokołowski, member of the Supervisory Board of PEJ, delegated to temporarily perform the duties of vice-president of the management board.

Who is already looking for work in the construction of a nuclear power plant?

The following people can count on work on the first stage of the power plant’s construction, i.e. soon: reinforcement workers, welders, concrete workers, heavy construction equipment operators, boilermakers, steel structure fitters, construction engineers, electricians and carpenters. They will be busy for three to four years.

– People with the required qualifications who gain practical experience on the construction site in Choczew will then be able to work on the construction of other nuclear power plants, not only in the AP1000 technology developed by Westinghouse Electric Company – said Marek Woszczyk, president of Polish Nuclear Power Plants, in an interview with PAP.

However, the Polish Association of Construction Employers (PZPB) is full of concerns about whether Polish companies will play a more important role in the construction of the nuclear power plant in Choczew. Dr. Damian Kaźmierczak, vice-president and chief economist of PZPB, believes that the American side is focused on achieving the highest possible profits while implementing the nuclear project in Poland and there is no reason to teach Polish companies anything or to broadly include them in their own supply chains when they already have proven partners – Turkish Enka or Korean Hyundai E&C.

The vice-president of PZPB claims that Bechtel’s dialogue with the largest construction companies is “neither particularly intense nor particularly substantive”, and the companies “due to the surprising discretion of the American side” they don’t know what to prepare for, not knowing the potential scope of work they could be involved inconditions, principles of possible cooperation or requirements to which they would have to adapt.