logo
Poland to seek partner for second nuclear plant in June

Poland to seek partner for second nuclear plant in June

Yahoo28-05-2025

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland will begin selecting a partner for its planned second nuclear power plant in June, the country's leading energy security official said on Wednesday.
Deputy Industry Minister Wojciech Wrochna had previously said the process would start in January.
Poland, which is working to reduce its reliance on coal, chose Westinghouse Electric to build its first nuclear plant on the Baltic Sea coast. The financing is not fully agreed, but is is meanwhile preparing to start working on a second plant.
"We want to have a capital partner, but we don't know if we'll find one. We have to verify what this interest is. We want to end this dialogue next year," Wrochna told a news conference.
"We will conduct a dialogue with the market. We won't include a model or a contractor. We want to negotiate what is possible in terms of technology, contractor, financing and operation. We will talk to everyone, the French, the Americans, the Canadians," he added.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

IAEA team at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia says it heard repeated rounds of gunfire
IAEA team at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia says it heard repeated rounds of gunfire

Yahoo

time8 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

IAEA team at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia says it heard repeated rounds of gunfire

(Reuters) - International monitors at the Russian-held Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant in Ukraine heard repeated rounds of gunfire that appeared to be aimed at drones reportedly attacking the site's training centre, the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog said on Thursday. Russian forces seized the Zaporizhzhia plant, Europe's largest nuclear facility with six reactors, in the early weeks of Moscow's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Each side has since routinely accused the other of attacking the plant and posing a threat to nuclear safety. Monitors from the International Atomic Energy Agency reported hearing at least five explosions between 11:30 a.m. and 13:45 p.m. local time, each preceded by gunfire, an IAEA statement said. The statement gave no indication of the origin of the drones and said there were no reports of any damage to the centre. "Drones flying close to nuclear power plants could threaten their safety and security, with potentially serious consequences," IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi said. "As I have stated repeatedly during the war, such incidents must stop immediately." The statement said it was the fourth time this year that the training centre, located just outside the site perimeter, was reportedly targeted by drones. The plant's Russian management had earlier said Ukrainian drones had landed on the roof of the training center in "yet another attack" on the facility. It said there had been no casualties or damage. The Zaporizhzhia station, with all its reactors in shut down mode, produces no electricity. Before the war, it generated one-fifth of Ukraine's electricity. Grossi last week told Reuters that while Russia had "never hidden the fact" that it wanted to restart the plant, this could not be done soon as it lacked water for cooling and a stable power supply.

Chris Hayes: GOP civil war erupts as Musk ratchets up attacks on Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill'
Chris Hayes: GOP civil war erupts as Musk ratchets up attacks on Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill'

Yahoo

time8 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Chris Hayes: GOP civil war erupts as Musk ratchets up attacks on Trump's 'Big, Beautiful Bill'

This is an adapted excerpt from the June 4 episode of 'All In with Chris Hayes.' There's a civil war brewing in the Republican Party and it's threatening the centerpiece of Donald Trump's legislative agenda: his one big, beautiful, disgusting abomination of a bill, which the Congressional Budget Office says will add almost $2.5 trillion to the deficit, while depriving more than 11 million Americans of health care coverage in the next decade. That bill is now meeting new resistance from far-right members of Congress, thanks to the actions of Trump's one-time wingman, Elon Musk. Shortly after his DOGE days in the White House ended in embarrassing fashion, with a literal black eye and reports left and right about alleged drug use and other weird behavior, Musk started this week off by declaring war on Trump's legislation. (Musk has denied the reported drug use.) 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore,' Musk posted on his social media platform, X, on Tuesday. 'This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it.' To say this leaves the Republican caucus in disarray would be an understatement. Just days ago, House Speaker Mike Johnson, who is shepherding the spending bill through Congress, posted a photo of himself riding in style with Musk and Trump. But on Wednesday, he said he couldn't even get Musk on the phone. 'We've gotta get it done, and I think Elon understands the weight of that,' Johnson told reporters. 'I hope he comes around, and I'd love to talk to him this week, and I hope he calls me back today.' (As of Thursday morning, Johnsons told reporters they were still playing phone tag.) Hours after that Wednesday news conference, Musk posted a call to action against the Trump legislation on X: 'Call your Senator, Call your Congressman, Bankrupting America is NOT ok! KILL the BILL.' (In case that was too subtle, eight minutes later, he also posted a movie poster for the film 'Kill Bill.') But this is more than just a food fight. Remember, Musk threatened to primary Republicans who won't toe the MAGA line. Now, the threat seems to be that he could primary Republicans who pass Trump's bill. And so some of those Republicans are tying themselves in knots to try to keep both Trump and Musk happy. When Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia was asked about Musk's criticism, she told reporters, 'Well, you know I have to agree with him on one hand. I always love it when Americans are angry at the federal government and express it … And so, do I like the price tag of the bill? No. But I want to get off the Biden and Democrat CR that this government is currently funding on.' At one level, this is a story of two people with enormous egos who were never going to be content as co-presidents. But the deeper story here calls into question the entire Trump enterprise and what Trump was using Musk for, which was to make really unpopular cuts across the government. Cuts that followed the Project 2025 playbook and appealed to the most hardcore anti-government extremists in the Republican base and far-right members of Congress, like the House Freedom Caucus, who want a government small enough to drown in a bathtub. But as a policy, that approach is substantively disastrous and politically unpopular. It is not even popular with Trump, who has no qualms about running up massive budget deficits. He told everyone he's not going to touch Social Security or Medicare. But he has to worry about pro-austerity Republicans, so he outsourced the austerity to Musk and DOGE. That way, Trump could say to the anti-government vanguard in Congress, 'Oh, don't worry about the deficit and the debt or spending, because I've got Musk going to town over there. He's just going to cut all the stuff you don't like, and no one in Congress is going to have to take hard votes.' But this was always a dubious play. First, because what DOGE was doing was illegal, as many courts have found. Second, Musk wasn't actually making a dent in federal spending. He decimated our international aid budget, but that was never where the big government spending was, contrary to all the lies and false conspiracy theories Musk spread. Most importantly, Musk's activities were so unpopular that the American people's outrage blew back on Trump and the Republicans. In town hall after town hall, it became clear that Trump's play for plausible deniability was a failure. That's why I believe the White House didn't keep Musk on and why he's freelancing now. Trump's special weapon against party division has always been his cult of personality. When it comes to voting for their own beliefs or voting for Trump, Republican lawmakers almost always vote for Trump. That was enough to get the bill through the House. But there are Republicans, particularly in the Senate, folks such as Sens. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama, Rand Paul of Kentucky and Ron Johnson of Wisconsin, who are being very vocal about wanting to scale back Trump's legislation drastically, to pull it apart or to kill it. And now, thanks to political cover from Musk, senators such as Tuberville, Paul and Johnson may be even more emboldened to resist Trump. This is the Frankenstein's monster that Trump helped create: A guy who has virtually unlimited funds to primary politicians he doesn't like. Musk is giving these Republicans cover to rail in the way that they are politically comfortable with — and he has a massive social media platform that he can use to supercharge the debate, just as he used it to spread totally ridiculous stories and false numbers about what DOGE has been up to. That points to a real danger here: Musk's propaganda machine now rivals Fox News in its ability to influence and target the right wing of the Republican Party. It seems Trump is discovering that his oligarchy would be great … if it weren't for the oligarchs. This article was originally published on

Merz gets warm welcome from Trump at the Oval Office
Merz gets warm welcome from Trump at the Oval Office

Yahoo

time8 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

Merz gets warm welcome from Trump at the Oval Office

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz sought to strengthen ties with the United States during a meeting with US President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday. "We are having so much in common our history. We owe the Americans a lot. We will never forget that," Merz said during a press briefing with Trump in the Oval Office in Washington, referring in part to Trump's German heritage. Trump flattered his guest, calling him a "very respected man." "We're going to have a great relationship with your country," the US president said. A different tone from previous visits Trump adopted a notably friendly tone during the meeting - a major contrast to two previous visits. When Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa were in the Oval Office earlier this year, Trump berated his guests. On key issues such as Ukraine and defence spending, Trump struck conciliatory notes. The Republican remarked that Merz had won "a great election" and joked that Merz could be a "difficult." "You wouldn't want me to say you're easy, right?" the president quipped. " negotiator. Trump joked that Merz was "difficult" but called him a great representative of Germany. The usually combative US president, known for provocative or dismissive remarks about his counterparts, presented himself as particularly mild-mannered. Trump even praised Germany's defence efforts, which he had previously sharply criticized sharply - and also complimented the chancellor on his English. Allegations from Vice President JD Vance that Germany restricts freedom of expression and marginalizes parties like the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) were not raised - even though Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio were at the event. Merz had been prepared to refute them. "You speak such good English. Is it as good as your German would you say? Trump asked. That provoked some laughs from both Merz and the reporters in the room. "No, it's not my mother tongue, but I try to to understand almost everything, and yeah, to speak as good as I can, the chancellor replied. How well do Trump and Merz know each other? The two had only briefly met once many years ago in New York. Since Merz took office four weeks ago, they have spoken multiple times on the phone – both one-on-one and in larger groups about the war in Ukraine. According to German sources, Merz now has the US president's mobile number, exchanges text messages with him regularly, and addresses him by his first name. Until now, Trump has primarily relied on French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni as his main European contacts. Merz now aims to step into a leadership role, hoping his phone number will become Europe's go-to one. Merz spoke surprisingly openly about their first one-on-one phone call during the WDR Europe Forum a few days ago. The two reportedly discussed topics such as the American pope and the US city of Chicago, which both have a fondness for. Merz knows the United States well and once worked for the US investment firm, BlackRock. His private-sector background is something he shares with Trump, who was a real estate entrepreneur. Controversial topics avoided At the Oval Office press encounter, Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio stood alongside Trump. These are the same government members who recently accused Germany and other European allies of restricting freedom of expression and marginalizing parties like the AfD. Before his visit to Washington, Merz had made it clear that he considered the criticism from the US over how the German government is dealing with the AFD "overreaching" but that topic was absent in the Oval Office. A journalist attempted to ask about it but was unable to get through. Around 50 media representatives were present in the Oval Office. Merz appeared at the White House without an interpreter – a gesture to build trust. However, the chancellor had sought advice in advance from several heads of state and government who had already met Trump, including Zelensky, Ramaphosa, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre, and Finnish President Alexander Stubb. What was the top topic of the visit? Efforts to end the war in Ukraine were the main focus. Merz has positioned himself among the leading Europeans on this issue but has recently expressed frustration over the lack of progress. Trump sees Merz as an ally on the matter. Like him, Merz would like to see the fighting stop, Trump said. Both are unhappy that this does not currently seem likely. However, Trump expressed optimism, saying that at some point the "bloodshed" would come to an end. Once again, he left open the question of whether he was prepared to impose new sanctions on Russia - but also did not rule out sanctions on both parties. "It could be on both countries – it takes two to tango," Trump said. Merz, however, was clear that Russia is the agressor and instigator of the conflict, while Trump was not so unequivacal. "We are on the side of Ukraine," Merz said, adding that Germany and the European Union are "trying to make them stronger and stronger." Later in the press conference German Chancellor Friedrich Merz did not stress the differences. "We both agree on this war and how terrible this war is going on and we are both looking for ways to stop it very soon." Senate bill on US sanctions on Russia Trump said he hadn't read the Senate bill on US sanctions, drafted by Lindsey Graham, a Republican and Richard Blumenthal, a Democrat, but said "they'll be guided by me. That's the way it's supposed to be." The US has a three-body form of government, which includes the judiciary, the legislative and executive branches - with each supposed to check each other, though Trump critics have warned that he, as chief exectuive, he is usurping power from the other branches. Trump said he would have the Russia-Ukraine war stopped before he took office and had then claimed he could end it within 24 hours.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store