VIENNA, 16 September (BelTA) – Poland intends to use nuclear power plants to ensure its national energy security and economic competitive ability. The statement was made by Piotr Naimski, the Polish government's plenipotentiary representative for strategic energy infrastructure, during the 63rd session of the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on 16 September, BelTA has learned.

Piotr Naimski reminded that the Polish government intends to transform the country's energy industry. The relevant roadmap for the period till 2040 was published last year. The main goal of the transformation is to ensure energy security, reduce negative impact of the energy industry on the environment, and use the country's domestic energy resources as much as possible.

The development of nuclear energy is supposed to be one of the eight directions of the Polish government's policy. The first nuclear reactor is supposed to go online in 2033. The next five units will be commissioned every two years till 2043.

The official said: “We've decided to develop nuclear energy in order to ensure safe energy generation with zero emissions and zero atmospheric air pollution. At the same time thanks to nuclear energy we will be able to diversify the structure of our energy basket in a frugal manner, which will ensure national energy security and the competitive ability of the economy. We hope that such a stable and reliable source of energy will allow us to satisfy the growing demand for energy resources.”