Bechtel has taken over management of the site for Poland’s first nuclear power plant, as earthworks begin at Choczewo ahead of large-scale construction.
The handover from state-owned developer Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ) marks the project’s move from planning, permitting and design into site preparation and construction. As site manager, Bechtel will oversee construction activities, coordinate contractors, supervise ongoing work and maintain safety performance across the site.
More than 400 people are already working on the project, around a third of them hired in Poland, with that number expected to grow as site activities accelerate.
Ed Gore, Bechtel’s project director, said: “As we assume responsibility for the site and begin the first permanent plant work, with the initial earthworks contract, we are focused on safely advancing the project, working closely with our Polish partners, and creating the platform for the next phase of work that will ultimately deliver a new source of reliable, carbon-free energy for Poland.”
Initial works across the 300-hectare (740-acre) site will include grading and levelling, upgrading drainage systems, and constructing around 16 kilometres of temporary roads to support future development. Further work will prepare areas for construction offices, logistics facilities, warehouses and equipment maintenance areas.
Budimex, one of Poland’s largest construction companies, will carry out the site preparation works. Bechtel has also signed contracts with Polish firms DORACO and Unihouse over the past year, with dozens of procurement processes ongoing.
PEJ has awarded contracts to approximately 475 Polish businesses since 2020, including dozens based in the Pomerania region.
Bechtel employees on the project will work in part from the company’s newly opened office in Gdansk, Pomerania, which is expected to employ around 200 people, the majority hired locally, as the project progresses.
The plant will be Poland’s first AP1000 nuclear power station.
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