Romania to nearly triple its nuclear energy production in the next 10 years, minister says
Romanian energy minister Bogdan Ivan stated during the Nuclear Energy Summit in Paris on Tuesday, March 10, that the country will almost triple its nuclear energy production capacity over the next decade.
The minister underlined Romania’s 60 years of experience in the nuclear sector and said that Units 1 and 2 of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant ranked 1st and 3rd worldwide in performance indicators for 2025 according to the International Atomic Energy Agency scoreboard, with an average capacity factor of over 92%.
“In Eastern Europe and in the Black Sea area, energy no longer means only consumption. It means security, competitiveness, and the power to defend your interests in an increasingly complicated international context,” the official wrote on Facebook.
“We consume more, and at the same time, we must reduce CO2 emissions and make energy systems more stable. Nuclear energy is one of the few sources capable of covering the clean energy deficit: it produces constantly, on a large scale, with low emissions and plays an essential role in energy security,” he added.
Nuclear energy covers about one-fifth of Romania’s national electricity consumption, and more production will mean a more robust energy system, according to the minister.
Ivan also stated that this is why Romania continues the projects at Cernavodă, through the refurbishment of Reactor 1 and the development of Units 3 and 4 using CANDU reactor technology. The first costs about EUR 1.9 billion, while the latter project is estimated at around EUR 3 billion.
Moreover, Romania is currently developing the first Small Modular Reactor project in Europe in the locality of Doicești. “This means not only energy produced in Romania, but also investments, technology, jobs, supply chains, and the chance to transform strategic projects into real development,” Ivan stated.
Last month, shareholders of Romanian nuclear group Nuclearelectrica (BVB: SNN), in which the state holds an 82.5% stake, approved the final investment decision for the Small Modular Reactors (SMR) Project. The next stage of the project requires a USD 600 million budget, while the entire endeavor is expected to cost roughly USD 4.9 billion, with a +/-20%-30 % margin of error.
(Photo source: Facebook/Bogdan Ivan)
