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Vol. 75 No. 3/4 (2022)

Artykuły

Small modular reactors in Polish-American energy cooperation

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35757/sm.2022.75.3-4.05
Submitted: April 10, 2022
Published: 2024-08-23

Abstract

The paper concerns the importance of small modular reactors in Polish-American cooperation for the implementation of the civil nuclear program in Poland. To ensure energy security and meet European environmental requirements, the Polish authorities decided to implement a civil nuclear program. There are many technological, environmental and geopolitical arguments for this decision, and it has public support. So far, the United States has played a special role in the implementation of the civil nuclear program, as it is ready to transfer nuclear technology to Poland. This applies to both traditional nuclear power plants and small modular reactors. The SMR technology is new and American companies are at the forefront of its development. Since the first reliable data on the efficiency and functionality of SMRs will not appear until about a decade, Poland has not decided to use these systems as a core technology in the nuclear power development program. However, they are to play a subsidiary role in the form of power sources for large Polish enterprises. If they prove their worth in the future, it is possible that they will also be used in the mass production of energy for society.

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