Romanian nuclear energy company Nuclearelectrica announced on Thursday (22 February) that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with Italian state-owned insurance company SACE and Italian nuclear energy company Ansaldo Nucleare regarding the Cernavoda nuclear power plant (NPP)’s Unit 1 refurbishment and Unit 3 and 4 construction projects.
Ansaldo Nucleare is interested in formulating a bid for the supply of engineering and project management services, the procurement, installation and commissioning of components and systems, mainly for the classical part of the plant, Nuclearelectrica noted in a press release.
“The Refurbishment of Cernavoda NPP Unit 1 and the completion of Units 3 and 4 will lead after 2031 to generating approximately 66 per cent of Romania’s clean energy with a significant impact on decarbonisation by avoiding 15 million tons of CO2 on a yearly basis,” said Cosmin Ghita, Chief Executive Officer, Nuclearelectrica “With nuclear energy as a 24/7 available source and over 90 per cent capacity factor, Nuclearelectrica’s nuclear expansion investments will greatly benefit Romania’s long-term energy security, reliability and value chain socio-economic development, from Romanian suppliers’ chain growth to job creation and a new generation of nuclear specialists.”
In memorandum, the SACE expressed its interest in supporting the financing of SN Nuclearelectrica’s Cernavodă NPP projects with an amount of up billion euros, in accordance with SACE procedures, the conditions negotiated by the parties and the related approvals of the relevant Italian authorities, Nuclearelectrica further noted.
In September 2023, the Canadian government also agreed to provide up to two billion euros of financing for Nuclearelectrica’s nuclear projects, including the expansion of the Cernavodă NPP.
“Our partnership with Ansaldo Nucleare stands as a long-time cooperation based on performance and professionalism going back to the beginning of Unit 1 commissioning, therefore we are looking forward to continuing this partnership for the new units. We highly appreciate SACE’s joining of this MoU and the level of confidence awarded to nuclear power production facilities in Romania,” Mr Ghita added.
The Unit 1 refurbishment project is in its second phase, focusing on securing financial resources, executing planned activities from the first phase and obtaining all necessary approvals. Notably, the company signed a 534 million euro deal in November 2023 with Candu Energy and Canadian Commercial Corporation for the supply of reactor tooling and components.
A framework agreement for project management services and technical assistance for the refurbishment project is also being finalised, Nuclearelectrica said in a press release.
“We are extremely satisfied with this agreement, which allows us to consolidate our collaboration with SNN, a historical partner with whom we have a relationship of trust that has lasted for over 40 years,” said Daniela Gentile, CEO of Ansaldo Nucleare. “Thanks to SACE we can put our expertise at the service of Romania’s growth and development, with benefits for the entire Italian energy supply chain.“
The Unit 3 and 4 construction project is in its first phase covering the re-operationalising of the project company EnergoNuclear (completed in September 2021), as well as contracting technical and legal support services and engineering services to update the engineering and nuclear safety documentation required to continue the project, Nuclearelectrica said.