Polish companies FAMAK SA and Mostostal Kraków SA have completed the first phase of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) Nuclear Quality Assurance (NQA-1) Certification Program. NQA-1 provides quality assurance requirements and guidance applicable to all phases of a nuclear facility's life cycle and is applicable to all structures, systems, components, activities, or organisations that are essential for the safe, reliable, and efficient performance. The companies are among those selected by Westinghouse Electric Company to participate in the construction of a NPP in Pomerania. The NQA-1 will enable them to be included in the global supply chain of the American technology supplier of the AP1000 reactors selected for the project.
The first stage of the NQA-1 process aims to develop procedures in 18 areas in the nuclear sector, including quality assurance, equipment control, design & documentation, and the development of principles as part of corrective actions. In the next stage, companies will implement previously developed solutions and ensure appropriate employee training. The task set to complete the process will be to create a previously designed selected nuclear island test module (so-called mock-up) for the implementation of Poland's first NPP.
PEJ, 100% owned by the Polish Treasury, will be the future operator of the first NPP, which will be built in Lubiatowo-Kopalino, Pomerania, using Westinghouse AP1000 technology. According to the current schedule, the foundation stone should be laid in 2028, and the first reactor is expected to be put into operation in 2036.
Westinghouse, Bechtel and PEJ in September 2023 signed an 18-month Engineering Services Contract (ESC) under which Westinghouse and Bechtel were to finalise a site-specific design for the NPP comprising three AP1000 reactors. However, the ESC contract expired at the end of March 2025 without a new agreement being concluded. PEJ then signed an Engineering Development Agreement, as a bridge agreement, which established the framework for cooperation between PEJ and the Westinghouse-Bechtel Consortium for the next nine months.
"Poland already has the potential to become a hub for the nuclear industry," said Marek Woszczyk, President of the Management Board of state-owned project company Polskie Elektrownie Jadrowe's (PEJ). "This is an opportunity we want to take advantage of. We actively encourage our American partners to include Polish companies in the supply chain for our project. Of course, this also requires investment by the Polish industry to provide services and create products of the absolute highest quality, but these are investments that can provide very high benefits to individual companies."
He added: "Westinghouse, at our request, analysed the local and nationwide market in search of those who have the greatest potential to engage in investment in Pomerania. As a result, six companies were selected that are adapting to the requirements used in the global nuclear sector. The process of adapting to the NQA-1 standard is an important element of this. We also hope that Polish companies will permanently find themselves in the international nuclear energy supply chain."
Mirosław Kowalik, President of Westinghouse Polska, noted: "Securing the high participation of Polish companies in the construction of a nuclear power plant is one of the main goals of the programme and a parameter assessing its success. This brings with it new jobs, international competences and many other economic benefits expected by the main stakeholders of this project and Polish society. From the beginning of its involvement in Poland, Westinghouse has been building appropriate local structures to help Polish companies acquire appropriate competences. They are intended to meet the highest quality and safety standards in the nuclear sector around the world."
Famak was one of the first Polish heavy industry plants to implement the ISO quality system and is the first to develop procedures consistent with the requirements of the nuclear sector. "Just as we once played a key role in the coal revolution, providing solutions for coal mines and power plants in Poland and around the world, now we have a chance to be a key contractor for solutions for nuclear power plants, not only in Poland but also in the region," said Leszek Zagórski, President of the Famak Management Board. "We are making every effort to acquire the necessary know-how and experience and, consequently, to participate in the construction of the first Polish NPP as much as possible. This is necessary not only from the perspective of our company, but also from the perspective of Poland's energy and economic security."
Mostostal Kraków is optimistic about cooperation with the Westinghouse and Bechtel Consortium on the NPP project. "Despite the very demanding certification and training process included in the scope of the first phase, we can boast of its completion with great satisfaction," said Paweł Śmigla, a member of the Mostostal Kraków Management Board and Director of the Commercial Division. "We are convinced that the experience we have acquired in the completed phase will allow us to successfully complete the subsequent phases of the process and, consequently, be a reliable subcontractor in the construction of the power plant. We can confirm that cooperation with the consortium and PEJ representatives is exemplary, which allows us to look to the future with optimism."