WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Poland's government said Monday that it has chosen South Korea as its partner for building its second planned nuclear power plant, a decision that comes days after it picked the U.S. and Westinghouse to build the first one.

The central European country's plans to construct two nuclear power plants are part of an effort to burn less coal and gain greater energy independence.

Officials from the Polish and South Korean governments as well as from energy companies met in Seoul on Monday to sign a memorandum of understanding to cooperate on construction of the plant in Patnow in southwestern Poland, some 230 kilometers (140 miles) from Warsaw.

A binding contract is due to be signed next year.

Polish energy companies PGE and ZE PAK signed the letter of intent with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power to cooperate on the plant.

Poland has planned for decades to build a nuclear power plant to replace its aging coal-fired plants and alleviate some of the worst air pollution in Europe. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine this year and its use of energy to put economic and political pressure on European nations have added urgency to Poland’s search for alternative energy sources.