OSGE with the scope of the environmental report for the first SMR project

The General Director of Environmental Protection (GDOŚ) has issued a decision specifying the scope of the environmental report for the construction of a small modular reactor (SMR) in Stawy Monowskie, Małopolska region. This is the first such decision in the European Union and another important step in the process of deployment of BWRX-300 SMRs in Poland.

The GDOŚ’s decision is the result of an environmental procedure initiated in May 2023 with the submission of an application by OSGE. The scope of such a document is determined for each project, with the specifics of the location. The decision allows the company to start environmental and location studies at Stawy Monowskie site necessary for the preparation of the Environmental Impact Assessment Report. This might take up to 2 years.

“Assessment of the environmental impact of a nuclear investment is one of the most important elements of the whole investment process. And, at the same time, one of the most difficult. From this perspective, good cooperation with the General Directorate for Environmental Protection and the regulator’s professional approach to the first in the EU environmental proceedings for SMR makes us even more pleased,” said Rafał Kasprów, CEO of OSGE.  “Today’s decision allows us to keep the assumed schedule for the project and gives us a chance to complete the investment when the Polish economy will most need zero-emission and stable energy sources”, added Rafał Kasprów.

GDOŚ indicated the key areas that the report will have to address. These include: conducting a nature inventory, identifying possible sources of cooling water, technological solutions to ensure nuclear safety and radiological protection, and indicating how the power plant will be integrated with the power transmission grid. In 2023, OSGE submitted the same applications to the GDOŚ to determine the scope of the environmental impact for the construction of the BWRX-300 SMRs in Ostrołęka and Włocławek. An element of each application is an Environmental Scoping Assessment which is a publicly available comprehensive description of the planned investments.