Poland’s state-owned energy company Orlen has finally confirmed an agreement to build the country’s first small modular reactor (SMR), marking a turning point in a project that has been stalled for more than a year and a half. The reactor will use GE Hitachi’s BWRX-300 design, one of the most advanced SMR concepts currently licensed, and will be located in the city of Włocławek. Once online, it would become the first deployment of the technology in Europe.
The project is being developed jointly by Orlen and Synthos Green Energy (SGE) under their approved venture, OSGE, which received clearance from the European Commission in 2023. Backing from U.S. agencies, amounting to as much as $4 billion, added significant momentum, but internal disagreements halted progress. For months, Orlen and SGE were unable to agree on the degree of control each side would have over the SMR technology, a particularly sensitive point given that Poland aims for nuclear power to generate 23 percent of its electricity by 2040.
Orlen’s CEO, Ireneusz Fąfara, described the BWRX-300 as a “cornerstone of the energy system of tomorrow,” hinting at the broader shift in Poland’s strategy. But the technical and regulatory path ahead is still long. Preparing the required environmental impact report for the Włocławek site is expected to take close to two years. Only after its completion can construction permits be pursued.
The broader Polish nuclear landscape remains fluid. In August 2025, a major South Korean company withdrew from plans to build another Polish nuclear plant, citing inconsistencies in the new government’s energy strategy, a claim the energy ministry denied. Still, the retreat illustrates how shifting policies can reshape nuclear planning even in countries actively seeking alternatives to coal.
What SMRs Actually Offer and Why They Remain Controversial?
Small Modular Reactors typically produce up to 300 MWe, roughly a third of the output of a conventional reactor. Their appeal lies in their modularity: major components can be manufactured in factories, shipped to site and assembled faster and more predictably than traditional large reactors. Many designs, including the BWRX-300, use passive safety systems, relying on gravity and natural circulation rather than pumps or external power for emergency shutdowns.
SMRs can be connected to existing grid infrastructure, operate in remote locations, and even repower decommissioned coal sites where transmission capacity already exists. Their smaller footprint also makes them suitable for industrial applications requiring steady heat.
Yet SMRs come with trade-offs. Because of neutron leakage, smaller reactors can produce significantly higher volumes of high-level waste per unit of electricity, estimates suggest up to 30 times more than today’s gigawatt-scale PWRs. To compensate for the geometry of the core, some SMR designs require higher enrichment levels of U-235, making spent fuel more radioactive and more complex to manage. The combination of increased waste streams, enriched fuel demand and long-term safeguards leaves regulators cautious even as interest grows.
The Netherlands Eyes SMRs as a Future Industrial Workhorse
Poland is not alone in exploring SMRs as a low-carbon baseload solution. The Netherlands has seen a noticeable rise in commercial and governmental interest. Datacenter operator Equinix recently signed a Letter of Intent with ULC-Energy for a potential power purchase agreement of up to 250 MWe from SMRs, a move driven by the digital sector’s need for predictable, round-the-clock energy.
ULC-Energy has selected the Rolls-Royce SMR design, a 470 MWe light-water configuration that differs significantly from the smaller BWRX-300. Research from TNO and NRG PALLAS indicates that SMRs could become central to supplying high-temperature process heat for Dutch industry, particularly in chemicals, fuels and heavy manufacturing. Their modelling suggests the Netherlands could potentially accommodate between two and more than thirteen SMRs by 2050, depending on industrial output and heat demand.
Although nuclear plants remain more expensive to build than renewables, TNO’s system-level analysis shows that an energy mix without new nuclear units would increase overall system costs by one to 2.5 percent. The reason is simple: without nuclear baseload, the country would rely more heavily on costly flexibility options like long-duration storage, hydrogen buffering or imported firm power.
Why This Story Matters for Power Loop Readers?
The rise of Poland’s first SMR, even at an early stage, is more than a national milestone. It marks the beginning of Europe’s shift toward modular nuclear deployment, a trend that could reshape industrial zones, datacenter planning, grid architecture and long-term investment flows. The BWRX-300 will be one of the most closely watched reactors globally, not only because it is Europe’s first of its kind, but because it may determine how fast SMRs can scale in democratic markets with strict regulatory frameworks.
For Power Loop’s audience, the implications cut across energy, technology and policy. SMRs sit at the intersection of baseload reliability, geopolitical supply chains, digital-infrastructure growth and the decarbonisation of heavy industry. Understanding where the first commercial deployments land, and how quickly they move from paper to construction, offers an early indicator of where capital, talent and long-term energy ambitions are likely to cluster in the 2030s.
