Romania adds Canada to its Cernavoda team

06 August 2021

Romania and Canada have agreed to strengthen cooperation in nuclear energy in a key move enabling the completion, refurbishment and possible expansion of the Cernavoda nuclear power plant. The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in Bucharest yesterday follows similar agreements with the USA and France.

Romanian minister of mineral resources Virgin Popescu and Canadian Ambassador to Romania Annick Goulet shake hands following the signing of the MoU (Image: Romanian energy ministry)

"I am glad that in our project of modernisation and construction of new nuclear reactors, in addition to the partners from the USA and France, we are joined by the Canadian partners, with whom we have a very good and long collaboration in this field," said Romanian minister of mineral resources Virgin Popescu. He signed the MoU with Canadian Ambassador to Romania Annick Goulet, who was standing in for Seamus O'Regan, the minister for natural resources. Goulet said, "Nuclear cooperation has been a pillar of the 55-year relationship between Canada and Romania."

Romania has long wanted to complete two additional Candu units at the Cernavoda plant, and is also making plans to refurbish the two operational Candus there for longer service lives. Since January 2020, it has been assembling an international team to complete the work, and the text of the MoU with Canada includes explicit provision to set up multilateral discussions between several governments jointly implementing work at Cernavoda.

Romanian prime minister Florin Cîțu attended the signing. "The investments are vital," he said, "and I am glad that the Canadian partners are joining the American partners in order to develop the nuclear field in our country." Romania signed cooperation agreements with the USA and with France in October 2020.

"I wanted to be present at this event to show that I support the development of nuclear energy projects in Cernavoda and those in the civil nuclear energy sector in Romania," Cîțu added.

The MoU prioritised Candu work but also included passages on several other areas, including: integration of the countries' nuclear supply chains; strengthening Romania's nuclear supply chain; developing a highly skilled, mobile and adaptable workforce; production of medical isotopes using Candu technology; hydrogen production; and discussion towards cooperation on small modular reactors.

Cernavoda is Romania's only nuclear power plant. It has two operational Candu-6 units that provide up to 20% of the country's electricity. As well as completion of units 3 and 4, Nuclearelectrica is working with Candu Energy, part of Canada's SNL-Lavalin Group, towards extending the operational life of unit 1 until 2026 when it would undergo a full refurbishment. Similar work has been completed, or is in progress, at several Canadian Candu units.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

USA-Romania cooperation gets to work

04 August 2021

Romania and the USA have started cooperation work towards the expansion and modernisation of the Cernavoda nuclear power plant. A working meeting last week followed a series of strategic agreements by Romania.

Cernavoda has two operational reactors, and two that are only partly constructed (Image: Nuclearelectrica)

The owner of the Cernavoda plant, Nuclearelectrica, announced on 30 July that a working meeting had begun with a delegation from the US Department of Energy (DOE). This was led by Kathryn Huff, the acting assistant secretary and principal deputy assistant secretary. The company said the visit, "envisages the continuation of cooperation" based on an agreement the two nations signed in Washington, DC in October 2020 and which has since been ratified by both sides.

Nuclearelectrica explained its three-part strategy to complete two partly constructed reactors at Cernavoda. First, a 24-month preparatory stage would see legal and financial services contracted "to shape the project". Next, preliminary works lasting 18 to 24 months would see an engineering procurement and construction contractor "carry out the critical engineering part of the project and [prepare] the nuclear safety documentation." Last would come the actual construction phase, lasting 69-78 months.

"Based on these stages of realisation, it is estimated that unit 3 will enter into commercial operation in 2030, and unit 4 in 2031," Nuclearelectrica said. This fits with previous announcements that placed "site mobilisation" in around 2024.

Nuclearelectrica CEO Cosmin Ghită, said, “The Romanian energy system needs resilience and sustainability, and the expansion of nuclear capacity in Romania, in the context of the current transition to a clean economy, responds to these needs."

Romania has also been discussing the project with France, signing a declaration to cooperate in nuclear energy in October 2020. Announcements made at the time envisaged Romania and France working together with other strategic partners and encouraged French investment in Romania.

The US cooperation with Romania was described by the DOE as laying the foundation "for Romania to utilise US expertise and technology with a multinational team building reactor units 3 and 4 of the Cernavoda nuclear power plant and refurbishing reactor unit 1."

Cernavoda is Romania's only nuclear power plant. It has two operational Candu-6 units that provide up to 20% of the country's electricity. As well as completion of units 3 and 4, Nuclearelectrica is working with Candu Energy, part of Canada's SNL-Lavalin Group, towards extending the operational life of unit 1 until 2026 when it would undergo a full refurbishment. Similar work has been completed, or is in progress, at several Canadian Candu units.

Ghită said that expanding Cernavoda "leads to economic and social growth and supply chain development" including the creation of 19,000 indirect jobs. The expanded power plant would avoid 20 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year, he said.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News

Romania ratifies Cernavoda agreement with USA

24 June 2021

The Romanian Senate, the upper house of the country's parliament, has ratified an intergovernmental agreement on cooperation to expand and modernise Romania's nuclear power programme that was signed between Romania and the USA in October 2020. Areas for cooperation could include the completion of units 3 and 4 at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant and the refurbishment of unit 1 at the plant.

The Cernavoda nuclear power plant (Image: Nuclearelectrica)

Cernavoda is the only nuclear power plant in Romania and consists of two 650 MWe pressurised heavy-water reactors. Unit 1 went into commercial operation in 1996 and unit 2 in 2007. Operator Nuclearelectrica plans to extend the operating life of unit 1 to 60 years. Most of the work on units 3 and 4 - like units 1 and 2, CANDU-6 reactors - was done in the 1980s prior to the fall of the government of Nicolae Ceausescu in 1989. In July 2020, Romania launched a tender for a new feasibility study to complete units 3 and 4.

Welcoming the Senate's vote in favour of the agreement with the USA, Nuclearelectrica CEO Cosmin Ghita said today that the Cernavoda projects were essential to Romania's decarbonisation targets and energy security. He noted that the intergovernmental agreement had already been endorsed by the European Commission.

"From the operator's point of view, time is an important variable in carrying out projects and our goal is to have unit 3 connected to the grid in 2030 and unit 4 in 2031. Thus, Romania will align itself with the states that heavily capitalise on domestic resources to ensure the transition, as well as the energy consumption at sustainable prices considering that, for example, based on international studies, the cost of electricity resulting from the extension of nuclear unit lifetimes is the lowest of all sources, and that of new nuclear projects is considered competitive. Therefore, nuclear projects come with a double advantage: competitive costs and zero CO2 emissions."

The upgrade projects for units 3 and 4 represents "a significant contribution", he said, to the reduction of CO2 emissions, from the 10 million tonnes of CO2 emissions avoided each year currently, to 20 million tonnes after 2031.

The projects will also boost the development of the internal supply chain, creating up to 9000 jobs and stimulating research and innovation in the nuclear industry, he said. An exponential macroeconomic growth effect will follow and help Romani's efforts to retain its highly qualified nuclear specialists, he added.

According to the Senate's website, there were 129 votes in favour of the bill, one against and one abstention. It bill will now be forwarded to Romanian President Klaus Iohannis for his approval.

Researched and written by World Nuclear News