WARSAW, Sept 11 (Reuters) - Poland will this week send a request for European Commission approval of a plan to finance its first nuclear power plant, a top energy security official said on Wednesday.

The Commission is in charge of ensuring any state aid given to companies by member states complies with EU rules on fair competition.

"This week I will sign an official request to the European Commission, starting the notification process," Maciej Bando, deputy climate minister in charge of strategic energy infrastructure, told a conference in Warsaw.

To cut reliance on coal, Poland chose Westinghouse Electric to build the plant on the Baltic sea coast that is set to cost some $40 billion, and is now negotiating the funding structure with U.S. partners.

The government is working on legislation that will allow it to inject 60 billion zloty ($15.45 billion) into state-owned Polskie Elektrownie Jadrowe, which is in charge of overseeing the building the first of the three reactors by 2035.

Bando said he expects Poland's request for a nod for public aid for the project, which will include a scheme for pricing the electricity produced via a so-called contract for difference, to be cleared by the EU by the middle of next year.

($1 = 3.8839 zlotys)

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https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/poland-ask-eu-nod-nuclear-power-plant-financing-this-week-2024-09-11/