Romania’s nuke group SNN seals contract with Korea’s KHNP for tritium removal plant

Romania’s Nuclearelectrica (BVB: SNN), which operates the Cernavoda nuclear plant, announced it signed the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP) for the construction of the first tritium removal plant in Europe – Cernavoda tritium removal facility (CTRF).

The project will cost SNN EUR 195.3mn, and the company made a 15% front payment, according to an announcementat the Bucharest Stock Exchange. The detritification plant will remove the tritium from installations, resulting in increased protection of the environment, in full alignment with Nuclearelectrica’s and Europe’s ESG objectives.

Tritium, an isotope of hydrogen, is mainly produced in heavy water-moderated-power reactors (such as CANDU). CTRF will remove tritium from the heavy water of the CANDU reactors and installations at Cernavoda NPP. The resulting tritium can be further used for future fusion reactors and will be the first indigenous European source of fuel using Romanian technology in partnership with Korea.

Fusion power plants will use hydrogen isotopes deuterium and tritium to fuel the fusion reaction and will convert the energy released into electricity.

(Photo: Nuclearelectrica.ro)