Energy group PGE will need support from the state to build Poland's first nuclear plant, set to go up in country's northern Pomorskie voivodship.

Financial support isn't absolutely necessary, but the state could help in other ways, Jacek Cichosz from PGE Energia Jądrowa, PGE's nuclear energy subsidiary, told Polish Radio. This could mean guarantees for investors or major clients. It is also crucial that the legal regulations drafted to govern the industry remain stable, he said.

Earlier this month, Treasury Minister Mikołaj Budzanowski said that Poland doesn't have the financial means to support PGE's construction of the nuclear power plant.

The company will soon launch environmental, seismic and geological surveys in potential sites for the power plant.

These studies will be conducted in Żarnowiec, and Choczew. Gąski, where residents overwhelmingly rejected constructing the plant in a referendum last year, is still being considered as a back-up location.

The unit will be operational by the end of 2024 at the earliest, Polish Radio reported. Previously it was expected to come on line in 2023.

Poland A.M.