The 3rd unit of Cernavode should be operational at the end of 2030, and a year later – the 4th unit, the cost of which is estimated at 7 billion euros, which will double the contribution of nuclear energy to the energy system, according to the draft of the approved law. government on Monday to approve the signing of a support agreement between the Romanian state and Nuclearelectrica.

• “According to estimates, unit 3 from Cernavode should be operational at the end of 20230, followed by unit 4 a year later. Both will double the contribution of nuclear energy to the national energy system. In practice, the share of nuclear energy in the energy system would increase from 20% to 36%.
• New jobs will be created in the nuclear energy sector and the supply chain will develop.
• Funding is important also insured from abroad in the US.”, said Dan Carbonaru, a government spokesman, on Monday.

What steps will the state take to build reactors 3 and 4

In a press release sent after the government meeting, the Ministry of Energy announces that with the help of this draft law, the Romanian state, through the Ministry of Finance (“MF”), will take the necessary steps to finance the construction of two reactors, including through, but not limited to, the provision of state guarantees of financiers of the project.

The Ministry of Energy is responsible for the implementation of the Contracts for Difference (CfD) support mechanism and, at the same time, being responsible for the operation of the Modernization Fund, supports the inclusion of nuclear power in key investment programs and provides the necessary support for the use of the Modernization Fund for the purpose of developing, building and commissioning project blocks 3 and 4 of CNE Cernavodă.

In addition, the Nuclear and Radioactive Waste Agency is responsible for the completion and commissioning by 2030 of the final repository for low-level environmental waste, respectively, the completion and commissioning by 2050 of the geological repository for high-level radioactive waste.

The Romanian state, through the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, will take the necessary steps to provide cooling water for the operation of the 4 nuclear power units at the Cernavode site by completing the II stage of the project “Improving Navigation Conditions on the Danube”. between Calaras and Braila (km 375 – km 170)”.

Also, the Romanian state will order the necessary measures to be taken for the completion by Transelectrica before the commissioning date of the power transmission line project, which will allow the connection of units 3 and 4 from CNE Cernavodă to the national electricity system and the evacuation of the electricity produced under the Project.

Construction of 2 more units in Chernavod: stages and expected benefits

Stage 1the current one, started at the end of 2021, is a preparatory phase that started with the capitalization and commissioning of the project company Energonuclear SA

This phase will last for 24 months, during which contracts will be awarded for technical, legal and financial services, engineering services to update the Technical Procurement Specification, and the launch and award of the IPC (Engineer, Procurement and Construction) contract. such as conducting research and assessments necessary to justify a preliminary decision on the implementation of an investment.

On November 25, 2021, Energonuclear SA, the project company, signed the first contract with Candu Energy, a member of the SNC-Lavalin Group and the design authority of Units 3 and 4 and OEM Candu (the original manufacturer of Candu Technology).

As part of the contract, CANDU Energy will provide engineering services to develop and update some of the documentation required to start the CANDU Units 3 and 4 project (including updating the basic license documents, updating the nuclear safety guidelines, updating the project change list with nuclear safety functions, etc.).

The second stage of the project (Preliminary Works) consists of the execution of preliminary works from Phase 1 of the IPC (Engineer, Procurement and Construction) contract and will last 18-24 months. At this stage, engineering work and market analysis will be carried out regarding suppliers of equipment and services necessary for the implementation of the project, so that at the end of this stage, the feasibility study of the project will be clarified.

Also at this stage, documentation will be submitted to obtain approvals and consents, including from the European Commission on the basis of Article 41 of the Euroatom Treaty.

At the end of this stage, the technical and economic feasibility of the Project will be re-analyzed based on new technical and economic indicators and the Final Investment Decision will be made, which will allow the Project to proceed to Stage 3.

The third stage of the project actually consists of work on the construction site, installation and commissioning, the stage is calculated for 69-78 months.

Unit 3 is expected to be commissioned in 2030, followed by Unit 4 in 2031. With an estimated cost of €7 billion, more than 19,000 new jobs are expected to be created in the nuclear sector.