| THE FUTURE OF NUCLEAR POWER IN ROMANIA 21/11/2008 |
| (2008-11-21) |
| Last updated: 2008-11-24 13:38 EET |
The project will entail two stages. According to the agreement, in a first stage, starting March 2009, a joint venture will be set up, in which Nuclearelectrica, the operator of the Cernavoda power plant, will hold 51 per cent of the stock. Its partners in the joint venture are the ArcelorMittal steel works, also from Romania, Enel (Italy), GDF Suez, CEZ (the Czech Republic), Iberdrola (Spain) and RWE (Germany).
During the same phase, the technical and commercial specifications will be drawn up, tenders will be analysed, and investors will work out agreements on the long term development and funding of the project. The second stage is the implementation of the project, with costs put at four billion euros and works expected to take six years. Each of the new units will have a capacity of 720 megawatt electrical (MWe). The project will be transmitted to the European Commission, under the Euratom Treaty.
Attending the signature ceremony, the Romanian minister of economy and finances, Varujan Vosganian, stated that the construction of the new reactors, with a 30-year average lifespan, was a top priority in Romania's energy strategy for 2007-2020. He added that the Romanian government would support the selected investors to develop the project. The idea is also backed by more than half of the Romanians, who according to a national poll are in favour of nuclear power production and see it as a form of cheap energy and a possibility to reduce their country’s oil and gas dependence and cut greenhouse gas emissions.
But as regards nuclear waste and its management, the Romanians are less informed, and oppose the idea of a radioactive waste storage facility anywhere near their homes. At present, Romania's only nuclear power plant, the one in Cernavoda, with its two reactors, supplies close to 18 per cent of the national demand. The initial project, dating back to the early 1980s, stipulated the construction of five units.
The first reactor was finalised in 1996, and the second was connected to the national power system in 2007. The nuclear reactor in Cenavoda uses the CANDU Canadian technology and runs on natural uranium and heavy water. The power plant is shut down in droughty periods, because the reactors' cooling system is not operational when the Danube flow decreases considerably.
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2025-04-03
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