Romania Adopted A Draft Law On Two New Nuclear Reactors
Last Monday, 19 December, Romania ‘s government adopted a draft law on the agreement to build two new commercial reactors at the Cernavodă nuclear power plant.
The approval of the agreement between the State and the Cernavodă’s operator Nuclearelectrica has now to be approved by the Romanian Parliament.
If approved, the two new units are expected to be operational between 2030-2031, Romania’s Ministry of Energy said.
According to the Ministry, the project is also essential for the country’s energy security and independence, and the nuclear share in electricity production is expected to double from the current 18.5% to 36%.
The project would also ensure a competitive energy market and create new jobs in the nuclear sector, supporting at the same time the education and training in the nuclear field.
Romania currently operates the two-units Cernavodă nuclear power plant.
Each unit has 650MW CANDU reactors and the same technology would likely be deployed for future units, as Romania declared.
Indeed, the Romanian government has adopted in October 2021 the Integrated National Plan for Energy and Climate Change, which calls for two new CANDU reactors at Cernavoda by 2031 and the refurbishment of an existing unit there in 2037.