Poland Powers Up Nuclear Science and Hydropower with New EIB Deals

The financing for the National Centre for Nuclear Research, known as NCBJ, will help build scientific infrastructure around MARIA, Poland’s only nuclear research reactor.

Poland is strengthening its energy future through two new agreements with the European Investment Bank, combining investment in advanced nuclear research with technical support for new hydropower projects. The package includes PLN 85 million, around €20 million, for the National Centre for Nuclear Research and a separate advisory partnership with Wody Polskie covering potential renewable energy developments in southern regions shaped by decades of fossil fuel production.

Advanced laboratories will support science, medicine and clean energy

The financing for the National Centre for Nuclear Research, known as NCBJ, will help build scientific infrastructure around MARIA, Poland's only nuclear research reactor. Researchers will gain access to modern facilities for studying advanced materials, nuclear technologies, medical applications and industrial processes, giving Polish scientists stronger tools to contribute to national projects and wider European research programmes.

A major part of the investment will support the MNL Maria Neutron Laboratory, where neutron-based measurement techniques can be used to examine materials found in batteries, renewable energy systems and other demanding technologies. Understanding how these materials behave at a microscopic level could help researchers improve their durability, performance and safety before they are introduced into industrial products.

Funding will also reach the NOMATEN Centre of Research Excellence, which develops materials capable of operating under extreme heat, radiation, pressure and chemical exposure in energy and industrial environments. Improvements to the Polish Free Electron Laser, PolFEL 1.1, will allow scientists to investigate ultrafast changes inside matter, opening new possibilities across physics, chemistry, materials science and medicine.

The three projects are expected to cost more than PLN 460 million in total, with additional support coming from Poland's National Recovery and Resilience Plan. NCBJ Director Jakub Kupecki said the agreement shows how different European financing sources can work together to deliver complex research infrastructure that would be difficult to fund through a single programme.

TechEU funding connects research with industrial competitiveness

This is the EIB's first TechEU agreement with a Polish public research institute, placing NCBJ alongside earlier beneficiaries such as the University of Silesia, technology company Synerise, e-commerce group Allegro and rail manufacturer PESA. The initiative focuses on sectors considered vital to Europe's future competitiveness, including artificial intelligence, biotechnology, defence, security and clean energy.

The EIB Group plans to invest €70 billion through TechEU by the end of 2027, with the wider ambition of unlocking €250 billion in strategic investment across Europe. EIB Vice-President Marko Primorac said laboratories equipped with advanced technology form the foundation of industrial strength, scientific independence and a knowledge-based economy, while the NCBJ financing also supports Poland's growing nuclear power ambitions.

Hydropower plans could give coal regions a cleaner energy role

The second agreement brings EIB Advisory and Wody Polskie together to assess major hydropower investments in Silesia and Lesser Poland, two regions closely associated with coal mining and fossil fuel industries. Specialists will study three possible hydropower plants that could be constructed at existing water-control structures, reducing the need for entirely new barriers while putting established infrastructure to productive use.

Wody Polskie will receive technical, financial and environmental guidance through TARGET, a joint facility created by the European Commission and the EIB for coal, peat and oil-shale regions moving toward cleaner energy systems. The two-year cooperation will help determine whether the proposed locations are technically suitable, environmentally responsible and financially strong enough to secure future investment.

Wody Polskie President Mateusz Balcerowicz described the partnership as an important step toward using Poland's hydropower resources responsibly. New renewable generation could strengthen electricity supplies, support more stable energy costs and give communities navigating the shift away from fossil fuels a practical role in the country's changing energy economy.