US ready to lend Poland $4 billion for nuclear energy plan

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA
Associated Press

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A project to develop some 20 small nuclear power reactors in Poland is moving forward as Polish energy giant Orlen and two U.S. government financial institutions signed an agreement. Poland, which has traditionally relied heavily on its own coal and Russian energy imports, is seeking a shift toward energy that’s renewable or doesn’t use climate-changing fossil fuels. In a ceremony Monday, the U.S. Export-Import Bank and the International Development Finance Corporation signed letters of interest to lend billions to the Orlen Synthos Green Energy project. Orlen CEO Daniel Obajtek told The Associated Press that only nuclear power can guarantee energy security and keep the lights on when the wind isn’t blowing or sun isn’t shining.