The ‘Nuclear Horizon’ report is an interdisciplinary review prepared by experts from Accenture Poland, Kochański & Partners, Instytut Sobieskiego, the Casimir Pulaski Foundation, and IGEOS Nuclear. It provides the most up-to-date overview of expertise and knowledge regarding the nuclear sector currently under development in Poland.

Six chapters. A single strategy for Poland’s nuclear power industry

This is the first study to consider the technical, regulatory and industrial aspects of Poland’s nuclear programme so comprehensively. It addresses the full range of challenges the programme faces, including energy security, technology selection and project complexity management, as well as legal and regulatory issues and European policy.

What do the experts say?

Nuclear energy is not just about megawatts. It is a foreign policy instrument, a cornerstone of energy security in the industry and, above all, a test of the institutional maturity of the Polish state.

As the largest EU country to build a nuclear energy sector from scratch, Poland has a historic opportunity to become a leader of the pro-nuclear coalition. Not as a technology recipient, but as a nation that shapes the international agenda in line with its own interests, standards and security requirements. We must, however, develop the right competencies to rise to this challenge.

Local content, or how we can become co-owners of nuclear competencies

Investing in research and local industry is how a nation develops technological autonomy. For Poland to become a co-owner of nuclear competencies rather than merely a technology end-user, it is essential to establish synergies between industry support mechanisms and the national systems for workforce training and scientific research.

How can the involvement of the Polish industry in the construction of a nuclear power plant be maximised? Dr Łukasz Młynarkiewicz proposes a five-pillar system for local content, ranging from tender specifications and contractual balance for Polish SMEs, to monitoring and enforcing KPIs.

If training programmes, company certification and knowledge transfer are treated as ‘nice-to-haves’ rather than integral elements of the project, the nuclear programme will only generate megawatt-hours, but will not develop competencies, says our expert.

Nuclear power changes everything: impacts on the industry, data and security

The nuclear power sector provides stable, weather-independent energy and limits the impact of price volatility on the economy. It should therefore be considered as economic infrastructure rather than just a source of electricity.

Stable energy is particularly important for the digital economy, including data centres, cloud services, semiconductor production, automation and AI-based systems, all of which require large, continuous energy supplies 24/7. There is no technology without data, especially in the age of AI.

The construction of Poland’s first nuclear power plant is, above all, an institutional and regulatory project, rather than a construction one

Proven technology is being implemented within an untested management model, and it is precisely here that the greatest risks to the project schedule lie: bureaucracy, staff shortages, and an unsuitable regulatory framework.

The four pillars of improving the regulatory framework

The shift from an ‘effective regulator’ to an ‘enabling regulator’: providing oversight as a professional partner in the investment process while maintaining the safety objective. Control is replaced with partnership

The reliance mechanism: the nuclear regulatory authority (the National Atomic Energy Agency, PAA) using the safety assessments of trusted foreign regulators as its own input for non-site-specific aspects. This enables the authority to focus on site-specific issues

PAA staffing and funding: increasing staff numbers, offering competitive remuneration, independent of civil service pay scales, reducing the risk of a brain drain to the private sector, whilst ensuring stable systemic funding (e.g. regulatory fees)

Technical and expert support (TSO): ensuring the regulator has constant access to independent experts. Three things are needed for this to work: clear legal rules, secure and stable funding, and independence

Kochański & Partners’ role in the energy transition

We are acting as legal advisors on the project to build Poland’s first nuclear power plant, supporting this transformative undertaking throughout the investment, legislative, regulatory, management and state aid processes.

This work has been recognised and appreciated on the international stage, most recently with a ‘Highly Commended’ rating in the ‘European Energy Transition of the Year’ category of The Lawyer European Awards 2025.

The conclusions presented in the report are based on the practical expertise and knowledge of specialists who are actively involved in the daily development of a modern Central European nuclear sector.

Who is this report for?

It is intended for:

• Lawyers and consultants involved in infrastructure and energy projects
• Policy-makers and public authorities responsible for implementing the nuclear programme
• Entrepreneurs and SMEs wishing to understand how to enter the nuclear power plant supply chain
• Financial institutions assessing the risks and opportunities associated with the EJ1 project
• Anyone who wants to understand what really lies behind Poland’s nuclear programme

The authors

Maciej Filip Bukowski, Head of the Energy and Resilience Program, Casimir Pulaski Foundation

Anna Przybyszewska, Wanda Buk, Instytut Sobieskiego

Wojciech Kozysa, Katarzyna Włodarczyk, dr Agata Kozielewska, Accenture

dr Łukasz Młynarkiewicz, Kochański & Partners

Adam Rajewski, Chief Operating Officer, Nuclear PL

Poland has a historic opportunity. Find out how to make the most of it

Download the ‘Nuclear Horizon’ report to explore a comprehensive legal, regulatory and industrial analysis of Poland’s nuclear programme. It’s free of charge.