PEJ Files Early Works Permit Application for Lubiatowo-Kopalino Nuclear Plant

Permit Application Filed

Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) has applied to the head of the Pomeranian Voivodeship for a permit to carry out early works at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site, where Poland's first nuclear power plant is planned. The three-unit facility will use Westinghouse AP1000 reactor technology.

The early works category was established in Polish law by the Act of 3 July 2026, which amended legislation governing the preparation and execution of nuclear power facility investment projects. The amendment allows specified construction activities to proceed before the main nuclear licences are granted, with the stated aim of streamlining project delivery.

Scope of Early Works

The permit covers infrastructure that the National Atomic Energy Agency (PAA) has classified as non-safety-related, meaning it can be built ahead of the licences required for the plant's primary facilities. Key elements include the onshore section of the circulating water system — comprising intake and discharge pipelines for reactor cooling — which will be installed beneath the Baltic Sea beach and seabed using a trenchless method.

Additional scope includes a retention basin for rainwater and meltwater collection, internal access roads, and launch pits for a tunnel boring machine. None of these elements fall under the PAA's safety-related classification, providing the regulatory basis for their early execution.

Site Preparation and Contractor Activity

General contractor Bechtel has taken over management of the Lubiatowo-Kopalino project site as earthworks are under way. Bechtel is responsible for execution and supervision of site preparation activities, coordination with investment subcontractors, and on-site safety. The company is also conducting detailed onshore and offshore geological surveys in parallel.

PEJ previously obtained a preparatory works permit in August 2024, covering surveying and site fencing across approximately 300 hectares. The second phase of those preparatory works — focused on construction-site infrastructure — is currently in progress.

Supply Chain and Programme Milestones

Westinghouse recently placed conditional purchase orders for safety-related modules with four Polish companies, following a commission to begin procuring long-lead items for the first unit. The orders represent early supply-chain engagement with domestic industry.

Under the current programme schedule, main construction at Lubiatowo-Kopalino is set to begin in 2028. The first unit is targeted for commercial operation in 2036, with the plant expected to reach full capacity by 2038 — three years later than previously planned. PEJ is also preparing to submit a construction permit application in 2027.

First concrete poured for Haiyang Phase III unit 5 nuclear island

China Nuclear Industry 24 Construction Co Ltd (CNNC 24), a subsidiary of China National Nuclear Corporation contracted by State Power Investment Corporation for civil construction of the Haiyang Phase III nuclear islands, completed the first concrete pour for unit 5 on 31 October. The milestone marks the official start of main construction for the unit and signals the entry of the broader Phase III project into full-scale construction.

The pour involved approximately 6,626 cubic metres of concrete and was expected to take nearly 62 hours to complete. CNNC 24 described the operation as technically demanding, citing the large single-pour volume, extended duration, and complex construction logistics. The contractor drew on experience accumulated during the construction of Haiyang's Phase I and Phase II units, applying optimised construction sequencing, design refinements, and advance scheme reviews to manage the complexity.

Regulatory and project background

Construction of Haiyang units 5 and 6 received State Council approval on 27 April 2025. Construction permits for both units were subsequently issued by the National Nuclear Safety Administration. The two reactors are CAP1000 units — the Chinese derivative of the Westinghouse AP1000 passive pressurised water reactor design.

Haiyang Phase I comprises two AP1000 units that entered commercial operation in October 2018 and January 2019 respectively. Phase II, also consisting of two CAP1000 reactors, began construction in July 2022 and April 2025, with both units scheduled to reach full operation in 2027.

Site capacity outlook

Upon completion and commissioning of units 5 and 6, the Haiyang plant would become, according to CNNC 24, the world's largest nuclear energy base operating exclusively on passive pressurised water reactor technology. The expanded site is projected to generate 60.9 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually and provide district heating capacity exceeding 150 million square metres, covering 25 county-level cities.

NRC Completes Safety Review for Xe-100 Plant in Texas, Clearing Path to Construction Permit

Safety Review Milestone Reached

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission released its Final Safety Evaluation Report for the Long Mott Generating Station construction permit application on 30 October. The report covers the NRC staff's assessment of the plant's principal design criteria, preliminary design, safety analyses, probabilistic risk assessment, and associated research and development programmes. The staff concluded that the proposed plant and site provide an adequate safety basis to proceed with construction under applicable US nuclear regulations.

The NRC had previously completed its environmental review in May, when it issued an Environmental Assessment and Finding of No Significant Impact. With both the safety and environmental reviews now finalised, the project has advanced to the final stages of the NRC's construction permit review process. The regulator indicated via its social media channels that a construction permit announcement should be expected shortly.

Project Overview

Long Mott Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of The Dow Chemical Company, submitted the construction permit application in March 2025. The proposed facility would consist of four Xe-100 high-temperature gas-cooled reactors with a combined thermal output of 800 MWt, equivalent to 320 MWe of electrical capacity. The plant is intended to supply electricity and process steam to Dow Chemical's Seadrift Operations in Texas, with any surplus power exported to the wider electrical grid.

X-energy has described the project as the first grid-scale advanced nuclear reactor proposed for deployment at an industrial facility in US history. The Xe-100 is also the first high-temperature gas-cooled reactor construction permit application to be reviewed under the NRC's technology-inclusive, risk-informed, and performance-based licensing framework, a regulatory pathway designed to accommodate non-light-water reactor designs.

Regulatory and Technical Background

X-energy's commercial licensing effort has been supported by pre-application engagement with the NRC dating back to 2018, alongside decades of US Department of Energy research into high-temperature gas-cooled reactor technology. The combination of early regulator engagement and a novel licensing framework has shaped the review process for the Xe-100 application.

Dragan Popovic, Chief Global Operating Officer at X-energy, noted that the NRC's completion of the safety review reflects sustained effort by both the company's team and NRC staff, and that the foundations established through this process are intended to support future Xe-100 applications as the technology moves toward broader deployment.