Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe - summary of recent local activities
Meetings with residents and local authorities, participation in summer events across the villages and communes and organisation of Summer Information Points in popular tourist destinations are some of the most important publicity activities organised by PEJ through the summer. A Support Program for Social Initiatives was also launched in March this year, with an annual budget of PLN 2.3 million, to assist the financing of local projects.
During the first half of the year Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe engaged in a more intensive dialogue with residents of the communes which will host Poland’s first nuclear power plant. The activities come as the project accelerates, with the construction works scheduled to begin within years.
Representatives of the Company took part in around 40 summer events, joining education points where they answered questions from all interested visitors regarding the investment and activities which will minimize its impact on the area. The residents and tourists alike were mainly interested in the layout of associated infrastructure, which will have significant impact on accessibility of the area to visitors, improving the time and comfort of travel across the region. Representatives of the Investor clarified and explained myths related to the alleged closure of beaches and damage to natural environment caused by construction of the power plant and presented the sequence of planned works. What is more, Summer Information Points were launched by the Company in Kopalino and Słajszewo villages, in the Choczewo commune.
‘Meeting the expectations of the local community, this summer we took part in all the most important local events. We answered questions and explained issues related to the construction process of this strategic project, which will secure the supply of cheap, reliable energy to Polish households. Let me also say, that we have been present in the site communes for the last 10 years, and our staff are present every day in the Local Information Points in Choczewo, Gniewino and Krokowa, working with everyone who may show interest in the project. As the licensing procedure continues, we have intensified our communication activities to make sure that every resident of the site communes and every visiting tourist can receive up to date information on everything that is going on around the construction of the power plant in Pomerania,’ explained Joanna Szostek, responsible for communication and external relations in Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe.
As part of the activities the Company launched in March 2022 a Support Program for Social Initiatives. By September, the communes of Gniewino, Krokowa and Choczewo received 63 applications for financing. This way financial assistance enabled organisation of important local events, as well as investment in the safety of local roads and sports facilities, additional equipment and modernisation of community centres, and new equipment for the volunteer fire service. ‘Funding from the Support Program for Social Initiatives offers significant contribution to the budget of communes and individual villages, allowing the local authorities to invest in better living conditions for our residents and attract tourists to our commune. Financial assistance granted by Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe in 2022 allowed us to procure a new sports field. Without additional funding the investment would have been significantly delayed,’ added Jerzy Żuczek, elder of the village of Kopalino in the Choczewo commune.
The present edition continues until the end of 2022. Detailed information about the Program is available here: https://ppej.pl/o-projekcie/program-wsparcia-inicjatyw-spolecznych
Meetings with residents and local authorities
The Investor, Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe, announced the preferred location of the first investment in December 2021, selecting the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site. As a major step towards the construction permit, in March 2022, the Company submitted the Environmental Impact Assessment report to the General Director for Environmental Protection. As part of efforts to accelerate construction of the power plant, in the spring of 2022, PEJ organised a series of meetings with residents and local governments of Choczewo, Gniewino and Krokowa communes. There were six open sessions, free for anyone to attend. Representatives of the Company also held tripartite and bilateral meetings with members of local authorities. A Memorandum of Cooperation related to the construction of the nuclear power plant was signed in March with signatories representing the poviats of Wejherowo, Puck and Lębork, the rural communes of Choczewo, Gniewino, Łęczyce, Krokowa, Nowa Wieś Lęborska, Wicko, and the municipality of Łeba. A working group has also been established at the commune office of Choczewo with the purpose of cooperation in developing solutions for the power plant construction.