Minister Lee visits Poland to further nuclear and energy cooperation

Trade, Industry and Energy Minister Lee Chang-yang visited Poland on June 30 to discuss nuclear power, defense and high-tech bilateral collaboration with Anna Moskwa, Minister of Climate and Environment and Ryszard Terlecki, the Parliamentary Caucus Head of the Law and Justice party.

Minister Lee's Poland visit is on the heels of President Yoon's June 29 visit and promotion of South Korea's nuclear power development capacity. Minister Lee's visit was accompanied by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) and other relevant ministries and companies, also including Korea Plant Service & Engineering, Korea Water Resources Corporation (K-Water) and Doosan Enerbility.

Minister Lee met with Anna Moskwa, Poland's Minister of Climate and Environment and discussed defense and high-tech (EVs, hydrogen, battery and carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS)), and conveyed preference for following the project proposal K-Water submitted in April. The two Ministers signed an MOU for Korea-Poland energy cooperation between their respective Ministries, which will cover nuclear, hydrogen, e-mobility among other energy areas. They shared the idea of launching a governmental energy joint committee to convene on a regular basis.

Minister Lee held separate talks with Ryszard Terlecki, the Parliamentary Caucus Head of the Law and Justice party on June 30 and relayed how Korea would be able to contribute to Poland's energy security and called for parliamentary-level interest and support. They exchanged views regarding battery, social overhead capital (SOC) and collaboration across a variety of other industries.

The same afternoon, Minister Lee delivered a congratulatory message at the Korean Nuclear and High-Tech Day 2022 held at the Sheraton Warsaw Hotel, where he relayed Korea's strong interest in Poland's nuclear power plant projects and how the two countries could develop optimal partnership, in view of the level of safety and technological prowess Korea has displayed throughout the Barakah project in UAE.

Six Korean companies and nine Polish companies participated in the total of nine nuclear sector cooperation MOUs signed at the event, in areas like engineering, machinery, construction and such that occupy the nuclear industry value chain.

Minister Lee is looking forward to meeting Poland's Minister of Economic Development and Technology Waldemar Buda on July 1 to discuss natural gas and infrastructure agenda items, with a specific focus on Korea's growing battery production facilities and investment scale in Poland.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) anticipates developing the current Korea-Poland economic cooperation to a deeper level centering on defense industry, hydrogen, batteries and other issues that are drawing opinions from both sides, so as to offer a "package" set of measures for cooperation.