Continuous and rapid technological progress, improving economic indices and increasingly better wind turbine efficiency with zero fuel costs. In accordance with the Polish Wind Energy Association our country faces a situation where it has to clearly select its energy future – either we continue to support renewable energy development, investing primarily in the most profitable energy source, wind, or we go for nuclear power. The lack of a clear decision resulting in the current ambiguity results in budget expenditures on the nuclear power sector amounting to approximately PLN 200 million per year! These funds could be used to build modern RES installations, develop power grid or ensure energy supply to 200 thousand so-called vulnerable consumers.

The PLN 200 million per year includes maintenance cost of the National Atomic Energy Agency and maintenance costs of numerous State Treasury companies participating in the nuclear programme.Furthermore, it also includes the cost of social campaign promoting the technology. The final construction cost of a nuclear power plant is unknown; it is unknown when it would commence electricity production and how much will the electricity cost. Even nuclear power supporters admit that the investment will not be possible without public funding. No other sources of finance and credits could be acquired.

‘In Polish conditions nuclear power is highly uncertain and risky. No nuclear power plant to date was built on commercial terms’, said Krzysztof Prasałek, PWEA President. ‘We spend huge amounts of money for simple propaganda and virtual nuclear programme without any guarantee that a true power plant that will produce electricity will be ever built. Instead of nuclear power we propose true investments, actual diversification of energy sources and improvement in grid quality. We also propose continuous and certain revenues for local governments, maintenance of agricultural character of Polish rural areas and jobs in a modern industry with a bright future.’

In accordance with the Ernst&Young report “The impact of wind energy on economic growth in Poland” the construction cost of a hard-coal fired power plant amounts to 6.6 million PLN/MW – as much as for a wind turbine. Construction of a gas power plant is much less expensive – approximately 3.9 million PLN/MW. However, the construction of a nuclear power plant is very expensive – 14.4 million PLN/MW.

Today Poland has 2.3 GW of wind installed capacity. To date investments in the wind energy sector in Poland attracted PLN 16 billion of capital. It has to be stressed that approximately 30 percent of the investment (approximately PLN 4.8 billion) was spent in Poland, whereas the support scheme amounted to approximately PLN 1.5 billion only. Assuming that the capacity will increase in line with the estimates, in the years 2012 – 2020 the total value of investment in Poland may amount to approximately PLN 23 billion.

Diversified wind energy brings economic, ecological and social benefits for many local communities – contrary to nuclear power, which operates only as a part of centralised energy systems. Simply put – one huge nuclear power plant will bring potential profits to just one local community and owners of the land where the investment will be built. Distributed wind energy is an opportunity for virtually every commune in Poland.

‘Nuclear power is a scheme where “few earn on many”’, Krzysztof Prasałek stresses. ‘Wind not only brings diversification of energy sources, but also benefits for thousands of small subjects, small rural communes and farmers. Revenues from real property tax, lease of communal land or communes’ share in PIT and CIT sometimes amount to 50% of communes’ revenues. Wind farms also bring revenues from farmland lease, contribute to the creation of new jobs and development of grid and communal infrastructure. Moreover, the technology is ecological, environmentally-friendly: in accordance with the World Health Organisation wind is the safest energy production technology in terms of human health and life.’

 

Do you know that…

  • Germans intend to abandon nuclear power by 2022.
  • Belgian authorities agreed on the decommissioning of two existing nuclear power plants. In accordance with the agreement three oldest reactors will be shut down by 2015. The plants will be eventually decommissioned by 2025, provided that renewable energy will satisfy Belgium’s demand by that time.
  • Switzerland – is to abandon nuclear power and go for RES. The government is certain that the new energy policy based on the exploitation of renewable energy sources’ (RES) potential will open new opportunities for Switzerland.
  • Nuclear power supporters often skip (or consciously understate) nuclear power plant demolition costs after their decommissioning. The assumed reactor lifetime is usually 30-40 years, whereas the land reclamation and gradual nuclear power plant demolition period is estimated for at least 60 years [Savacool (2008)].
  • United Kingdom established a dedicated Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) to tackle gradual decommissioning of nuclear power plants. The project costs were initially estimated at £35 billion (in 2006), only to be later increased to £45 billion (in 2009); in 2012 it was increased to £53 billion. The final land reclamation date for most British nuclear power plants has been established at 2080-2110.
  • The 2014-2020 EU budget assumes that by the end of 2020 Lithuania will receive €460 million to decommission the Ignalin nuclear power plant.
  • Too much risk and high costs caused the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development to withdraw from financing new nuclear power plants. This is more important given the fact that to date no nuclear power plant was built on commercial terms.
  • PGE estimates total capital expenditure on the construction of a 3000 MW nuclear power plant at PLN 35 – 55 billion.
  • The expenses of the National Atomic Energy Agency in 2011 amounted to PLN 160 million.