"Żarnowiec" Nuclear Power Plant
Żarnowiec was the first Polish nuclear power plant, built from 1982 on Lake Żarnowieckie (the village of Kartoszyno) in the Pomorskie Voivodeship as a state investment. The project envisaged Soviet WWER-440 reactors with a combined capacity of approx. 1600 MW, and commissioning of the first unit was planned for 1989. Following the Chernobyl disaster, mounting public opposition and a deep economic crisis, construction was halted, and on 17 December 1990 the government of Tadeusz Mazowiecki, by resolution of the Council of Ministers, placed the investment - some 40% complete - into liquidation. It is a historical point of reference for Poland's abandonments of nuclear power.
Construction of the plant began in 1982, but after the Chernobyl disaster (1986), growing public opposition and financing problems during the period of systemic transformation, work slowed. On 17 December 1990 the government of Tadeusz Mazowiecki, by resolution of the Council of Ministers (No. 204), placed the investment "Żarnowiec Nuclear Power Plant under construction" into liquidation. The reasons cited were its redundancy for the domestic energy balance, doubtful profitability compared with conventional power plants, and safety concerns. At the time work was stopped, construction was some 40% complete; the plant was never finished or commissioned.
How it went
Assessment: settled. Signals only where documented.
Timeline
- Construction start 31 Mar 1982
- Original date 1989
Change history
- 1982 stage: construction
Significance
The abandonment of Żarnowiec meant the loss of the first Polish nuclear power plant and of a stable, low-emission energy source on the coast for several decades, as well as the dispersal of a trained nuclear-power workforce. The funds spent on the investment (estimated at approx. USD 500 million in 1990 terms, at roughly 40% construction progress) were largely wasted, and Poland relaunched its nuclear programme only decades later. Today Żarnowiec functions as a symbolic and historical point of reference in the debate over the country's nuclear power.
Sources 6 · 5 archived
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- Wikipedia (pl)Construction startOriginal dateStatusInvestor
Construction start „31 marca 1982"
Original date „Pierwotnie planowano uruchomienie pierwszego bloku energetycznego o mocy zainstalowanej 465 MW w roku 1989"
locations „w miejscu zlikwidowanej wsi Kartoszyno nad Jeziorem Żarnowieckim"
Reason for failure „17 grudnia 1990 – Rada Ministrów podjęła Uchwałę nr 204 w sprawie postawienia „Elektrowni Jądrowej Żarnowiec w Budowie” w stan likwidacji"
- Nukleo.plStageprogress.pctConstruction startReason for failure
progress.pct „której stopień zaawansowania szacowano na 40%"
- Energetyka24 21 May 2021Statusprogress.pctReason for failure
Status „17 grudnia 1990 roku Uchwałą Rady Ministrów postawiono Elektrownie Jądrową Żarnowiec w stan likwidacji"
Stage „stan zaawansowania prac przy budowie EJ Żarnowiec wynosił ok. 40%, a obiektów zaplecza ok. 85%"
- gov.pl (Polski Atom, Ministerstwo)StatusInvestorConstruction startReason for failure
Investor „17 grudnia 1990 roku nowy, demokratyczny rząd Tadeusza Mazowieckiego podjął uchwałę o postawieniu inwestycji «Elektrownia Jądrowa Żarnowiec w budowie» w stan likwidacji"
- Do Rzeczy (Historia) 17 Dec 2024StatusConstruction start
Status „17 grudnia 1990 roku niedokończoną elektrownię Żarnowiec postawiono w stan likwidacji."
- Wikipedia (en)OutcomeDeliveryUtilisationLosses
Utilisation „Most of it, including two of the four reactor vessels, were scrapped. The third reactor vessel, along with various other equipment, was bought by a nuclear plant in Loviisa in Finland for training purposes. The fourth is located in a training facility for nuclear industry workers in Paks, Hungary."
Losses „The total amount of money recovered was about $6 million, compared to the estimated expenditures of more than $500 million."