Atomic crossroads: Poland's nuclear future

From The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

April 30, 2026 · 27 min

About this episode

The episode explores Poland's plans for its first nuclear power plant and the public's changing attitudes towards nuclear energy since Chernobyl.

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.

People in this episode

Guest: Zuza Nazaruk

Topics covered

nuclear power
energy independence
public opinion
climate policies
Chernobyl
Poland

Keywords

nuclear power
Poland
Chernobyl
energy independence
public opinion
climate policies
coal

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: EU

Places: Poland