According to the Ministry of Energy, Nuclearelectrica SA and Nova Power & Gas SRL are launching RoPower Nuclear SA, a project company for the development of small modular reactors in Romania, on the site of a former coal-fired power plant in Deutschest, Dambovica County.

The new company will create more than 200 permanent jobs in the power plant, 1,500 construction jobs, 2,300 manufacturing jobs and help Romania avoid more than 4 million tons of CO2 emissions per year, while bringing many other jobs. socio-economic benefits for the local community.

The project company RoPower Nuclear SA, which is owned in equal shares by SC Nuclearelectrica SA and Nova Power & Gas SA, will take steps to implement the first NuScale VOYGR-6 power plant (462 MW) in Romania this decade.

The plant will use NuScale Power Module technology from NuScale, the only SMR company to receive project approval from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The installed capacity can also be supplemented by renewable sources, with a capacity of approx. 80 MW, thanks to which the new energy complex will exceed the capacity of the former plant in Dojcesti.

A joint solution for nuclear and renewable energy will represent not only optimal production capacity with the possibility of production variation, but also a new vision of generation sources for the national energy system of the future.

“We are proud to develop a safe power plant in Romania that offers clean and cost-effective energy, while bringing many benefits to the local community. With energy independence and energy security as the highest goals, Romania will be able to become a leader in the development of small modular reactors in the region, and the new company RoPower Nuclear will be an example of best practice in implementing the highest standards. of nuclear safety, productivity and efficiency, just like the CNE Cernavoda plant, for over 25 years,” Cosmin Gice, CEO of Nuclearelectrica.

The candidate site at Deutschest was selected after a study based on a $1.2 million grant Nuclearelectrica received from the USTDA to identify and evaluate potential sites for small modular reactors.

In addition, in August 2022, at the request of Nuclearelectrica, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) undertook a SEED (Site and External Events Design) mission to assess the process followed in selecting the first site for the development of a Small Modular Reactor (SMR) plant in Doicesti, Dambovitsa County, Romania.

After the mission, the IAEA confirmed: “This comprehensive analysis will provide confidence to the Romanian public, and not only about the choice of the SMR site,” said Paolo Contri, Head of the Analysis Group and Head of the External Affairs Division at the IAEA. Department of Nuclear Safety and Security of the IAEA.

Following a US$14 million grant announced by US President Joe Biden in June 2022, project company RoPower Nuclear will begin the preliminary phase of the Initial Technical and Design Study (FEED Study) for the Small Modular Reactor (SMR), which consists of a series of engineering and project activities and studies, in-depth technical analysis on site, as well as licensing and authorization activities in accordance with all international and national standards. In addition, the FEED study will apply IAEA recommendations after the SEED mission in August 2022.

Let’s start with the fact that the project company RoPower Nuclear SA will be based in Deutschest, following the commitment to promote the development of the local community.

General information about the partnership between the United States and Romania

• In March 2019, Nuclearelectrica and NuScale signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to evaluate the development, permitting and construction of a Small Modular Reactor (SMR) in Romania.
• On October 9, 2020, Romania signed an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) with the United States in the field of nuclear energy, which was also ratified by the Romanian Parliament under Law no. 199/2021, having received wide support and was adopted by a majority of votes.
• In addition, in October 2020, US Exim Bank expressed in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Romanian Ministry of Energy, its interest in financing important energy investment projects in Romania, including nuclear, for a total of $7 billion.
• On November 4, 2021, at the United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26), NuScale and Nuclearelectrica signed a cooperation agreement to accelerate the implementation of the first small modular reactor in Europe in the presence of the Minister of Energy of Romania, Mr. Virgil Popescu. The importance of the US-Romania strategic partnership and the role of the development of small modular reactors were highlighted in speeches at COP26 by US Secretary of Energy Jennifer M. Granholm, US Department of Energy, Special Representative of the US President. Climate Envoy John Kerry, Klaus Iohannis, President of Romania, as well as US President Joe Biden.
• In early 2021, Nuclearelectrica received $1.2 million from USTDA to identify and evaluate potential sites for small modular reactors. Several suitable potential sites were identified in May 2022 following completion of the study. A site of a former thermal power plant in Deutscheste, Dambovitsa county, Romania, has been qualified as a candidate for further in-depth research and development.
• On May 24, 2022, Nuclearelectrica, NuScale and E-Infra (site owner) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to analyze the development of the first Small Modular Reactor (SMR) in Romania at the site of the former TPP power plant in Deutscheste, Dambovitsa county.
• In June 2022, US President Joe Biden announced a US$14 million grant for the next phase of NuScale Small Modular Reactor development in Romania – the Preliminary Engineering and Technical Study (FEED) for the SMR project in Romania. The FEED study consists of a series of works, engineering and design studies, technical analysis of the site, as well as licensing and authorization activities, which will be carried out on the territory of the former Doicești power plant in accordance with international and national standards. In addition, the FEED study will apply IAEA recommendations following the IAEA Site Design and External Events (SEED) mission conducted in August 2022 at the request of Nuclearelectrica.