Romania seeks European support for Cernavodă nuclear plant refurbishment

Romania’s energy minister Dumitru Chisăliţă announced that he requested support from European countries for the project to refurbish Unit 1 of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant on Thursday, October 29, during the ministerial meeting of the Nuclear Alliance in Luxembourg.

The Nuclear Alliance is a cooperation framework between European countries that support the contribution of nuclear energy to energy security, emissions reduction, and economic competitiveness. By coordinating their positions and engaging in dialogue with European institutions, participating countries seek to ensure that this contribution is reflected in the European Union's policies, legislation, and financing instruments, Energy Ministry officials said.

"For Romania, cooperation within the Alliance must also deliver concrete results for our nuclear projects. I have requested our partners' support for the refurbishment project, an essential investment for maintaining low-carbon electricity production in the long term and ensuring security of supply," energy minister Dumitru Chisăliţă said in a press release.

During the meeting, the minister advocated the need for a technology-neutral European framework that explicitly recognizes the contribution of nuclear energy as a clean energy source and provides predictable conditions for investment, the Ministry said.

Chisăliţă also highlighted the importance of continuing the development of national nuclear projects to ensure Romania's energy security. In this regard, the official brought up the publication of the European Commission's DG Competition decision to launch an investigation into state aid for the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 Refurbishment Project, a strategic project of particular importance.

The minister invited the countries participating in the Nuclear Alliance to support the refurbishment project during the 30-day public consultation, stressing the need for a European framework that facilitates the implementation of such investments, Energy Ministry representatives said.

In January 2026, Romania notified the European Commission of its intention to support the refurbishment of Unit 1 of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant reactor, maintaining its current electricity generation capacity of 706 megawatts, so that it can operate for another 30 years.

Unit 1 was commissioned in 1996 and is currently shut down, having been offline since July amid low water levels on the Danube.

On the same day, the Extraordinary General Meeting of Shareholders of state-owned nuclear power producer Nuclearelectrica SA, the company operating Romania’s sole nuclear energy power plant, approved the contracting of EUR 800 million in financing from the European Investment Bank (EIB) for the refurbishment of Unit 1 of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant.