Atomic Crossroads: Poland's Nuclear Future

Forty years after Chernobyl, Poland aims to open its first nuclear power plant. Shortly after the disaster, only 30% of Poles supported nuclear power. In 2022, the support hit a record 75%, almost doubling just from the year before, according to public opinion polls.

Poland’s nuclear revival attempts to solve several issues at once: it will make Poland more energy-independent, especially in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, but it will also help the country move away from coal per the EU’s climate policies. That’s according to the officials, but what do people living near the new site think about its construction?

Journalist Zuza Nazaruk sets out to discover whether the ghosts of Chernobyl still haunt the areas surrounding the spot picked for the new plant. The disaster looms over the abandoned nuclear power plant in nearby Żarnowiec - the project was halted in the early 1990s largely because of post-Chernobyl protests. But many locals see this as a missed opportunity. In the villages near the proposed nuclear power station, hopes for cheap electricity and the region’s development clash with environmental concerns, but fears around safety are scarce.