Duda Wants Poland to Pick US Investor for Second Nuclear Plant

(Bloomberg) -- President Andrzej Duda said Poland should pick a US investor for its second nuclear power plant, potentially putting him at odds with the government that appears to be leaning toward handing over the investment to France.

“It’s been a plan for years” to collaborate with Americans on building two nuclear power plants in Poland, Duda said in remarks on the sidelines of his Bloomberg TV interview in Washington Tuesday.

His comments come as the government has said it’s prepared to consider France’s Electricite de France SA as a bidder for the second stage of its nuclear power program.

Duda has frequently sparred with the government of Prime Minister Donald Tusk since it came to power in December, ousting the nationalist Law & Justice party, which backs the president.

Poland in 2022 picked an offer from Westinghouse Electric Co. and Bechtel Group Inc. to build the country’s first three reactors. The choice of the US companies for the $20 billion deal appeared natural as Warsaw sought to strengthen ties with Washington following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

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