The United States is committing 14 million US dollars toward a Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) study to provide the basis for the deployment of a small modular reactor (SMR) power plant in Romania.
This action is the next step in fulfilling the pledge made by Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry and Romania President Klaus Iohannis at the 2021 UN Conference on Climate Change in Glasgow (COP26), where they announced their intent to deploy an SMR in Romania in partnership with US firm NuScale Power LLC (“NuScale”).
The first small modular reactor in Romania will be installed at the former thermal power plant in Doicești, Dâmbovița County, Nuclearelectrica and the American company NuScale announced.
This 8-month effort, expected to cost 28 million US dollars in total and to include contributions from Romania SN Nuclearelectrica and NuScale, will provide Romania with key site-specific data – cost, construction, schedule, and licensing details – necessary for the deployment of a NuScale VOYGRTM-6 SMR nuclear power plant.
“Nuclear energy, including small modular reactors, represent a critical tool in the fight against climate change, and can also enhance energy security and boost economic prosperity,” said Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry adding that this is a strong step forward in support of Romania’s desire to deploy innovative, safe, and zero-emissions nuclear energy in partnership with the United States.”
“This latest commitment demonstrates the strength and importance of Transatlantic relationships in the pursuit of regional security and energy independence,” said Assistant Secretary of State for International Security and Nonproliferation Eliot Kang. “It also underscores the critical need for nuclear energy, carried out under the highest standards of safety, security and nonproliferation, as a key component of the clean energy transition.”
“Romania is taking firm steps towards energy independence and becoming a net energy exporter. The US decision to finance with USD 14 mln the design of the small modular reactors (SMR) in Romania is an essential step for the Romanian civil-nuclear field,” the Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciucă wrote on Facebook.
Romania has the potential to accommodate the first deployment of SMRs in Europe and become a catalyst for SMRs in the region, as well as a base for supporting the operatorship of this new technology in other countries.
