European Commission clears NPP expansion project in Romania

The European Commission’s Energy Directorate, under Article 41 of the Euratom Treaty, issued a positive opinion on the technical and safety aspects of the expansion project at the Cernavoda nuclear plant operated by state-controlled company Nuclearelectrica, the company announced in a note to investors.

The project, consisting of the development of two new reactors (in addition to the existing two reactors) with a gross installed capacity of 700MW each, is being carried out by Energonuclear, a fully-owned subsidiary of Nuclearelectrica.

“[The positive opinions] represent an important milestone in the implementation of the project, attesting the compliance of CANDU 6 technology and its implementation at Cernavodă with the EU nuclear safety framework,” Nuclearelectrica said in the note to investors.

Romania’s government has expressed a firm commitment to support the project.

“The Ministry of Energy is firmly committed to providing support for the implementation of the project of Units 3 and 4. In this regard, we recall the adoption of the Law on the approval of the Support Agreement between the Romanian State and Nuclearelectrica, to develop the project on March 14, 2023,” according to a ministry statement welcoming the EC’s positive opinion.

The company said that the four nuclear units in operation after the expansion of the Cernavoda power plant are expected to avoid the emission of 20mn tonnes of CO2 per year and will support more than 19,000 jobs.