As earthwork begins on Poland’s first nuclear power plant, Bechtel said Aug. 7 it has taken over management of the project from state-owned Polskie Elektrownie Jądrowe (PEJ), a state-owned nuclear project developer and investor. With the handoff, Bechtel now is coordinating contractors and supervising construction activity and site safety at the Lubiatowo-Kopalino site in Choczewo, north of Gdansk near Poland’s Baltic Sea coast. The Lubiatowo-Kopalino construction site is within a forested area near Poland’s Baltic Sea coast, where permit requirements constrain the layout of temporary construction facilities and preserve a coastal wildlife corridor. Poland’s National Atomic Energy Agency has up to 24 months to decide on the nuclear construction license application, excluding the time required for supplemental documentation. Poland also plans a second nuclear plant and expects to select a technology and financial partner in 2027, Deputy Energy Minister Wojciech Wrochna said in June, according to Reuters.