On May 22nd 2026, a conference was held in Bełchatów, the region of Europe’s largest lignite-fired thermal power plant, and a fore-runner for the location of Poland’s second nuclear reactor.
At 5GW, the Bełchatów site provides 15% of the installed capacity of Poland’s commercial power generation industry. The coal plant is scheduled to shut by 2036, and around 20,000 people indirectly depend on the complex for employment. A nuclear investment here would offer bountiful future prosperity to the region, instead of prospects of local recession.
“From Coal to Nuclear: Bełchatów of the Future” covered the obstacles and opportunities of transforming one of Poland’s most critical energy regions, by using clean, low-emission technologies.
1,000 people attended, including representatives of public administration, the energy sector, industry, the scientific community, and industry and civil society organisations.
Jacek Kaczorowski, the CEO of PGE GiEK, gave the opening address:
“We’ve built a strong, experienced, and well-managed economic entity around Bełchatów. Our subsidiaries provide a ready-made engineering and construction base that can immediately become the core of Polish local content for demanding infrastructure projects, including the construction of a nuclear power plant.
We have the network infrastructure, unique resources, and, most importantly, people with the highest energy expertise”
The discussions addressed large-scale reactors, and also emphasised the sizable role that SMRs can play for the C2N pathway.
We were delighted to hear that our partners at the DEsire project in Poland were featured.
Panel I was moderated by Lukasz Bartela (The Silesian University of Technology), director of the DEsire Project, and the 4NEW program (building human resources and competencies for Poland’s nuclear sector). The panellists were:
⚡ Marcin Laskowski, Vice President of the Management Board of PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna S.A.,
⚡ Jacek Kaczorowski, President of the Management Board of PGE Górnictwo i Energetyka Konwencjonalna S.A.,
⚡ Dagmara Peret, Executive Director of the Pomerania Region at Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe,
⚡ Slawomir Kadlubowski, Professor at Lodz University of Technology
⚡ Dariusz Joński, Member of the European Parliament,
⚡ Jaroslaw Wajer, Partner at EY Poland.
DEsire shared their three strongest conclusions:
1️⃣ Energy security and economic competitiveness must go hand in hand
2️⃣ The clean transition requires not only investment decisions, but also financing, workforce development, and the participation of Polish companies in the supply chain
3️⃣ The success of new energy projects depends on cooperation between business, academia, government, and regions
For “Coal-to-Nuclear” to be an action plan and not merely a slogan, events such as these are requisite. Promoting the pathway while clearly articulating its indisputable advantages, particularly to national decision-makers, is fundamental to achieving effective energy and social transition.