US and Romania strengthened their co-operation in the development and deployment of small modular reactors (SMRs) during Partnership for Transatlantic Energy & Climate Cooperation (P-TECC) Ministerial in Bucharest.
During the meeting, US Fluor Corporation and Romania’s RoPower signed an agreement for the second phase of the Front-End Engineering & Design (FEED) study that will position the SMR project to move to a final investment decision and construction. In 2022, Romanian nuclear utility Compania Națională Nuclearelectrica (SNN) and Romanian private company Nova Power & Gas launched RoPower Nuclear – a project company for development of SMRs in Romania on the site of a former coal-fired power plant in Doicesti, Dambovita County. The project plans to use SMR technology from US company NuScale.
The first phase of the FEED study was completed in late 2023 with funding from the US Trade & Development Agency, US Department of State, the Government of Romania, and US NuScale Power. Fluor has now announced the establishment of an office in Bucharest to carry out the work.
The US Embassy in Romania said: “US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm, Under Secretary of State for Arms Control & International Security Bonnie Jenkins, and U. Trade & Development Agency Director Enoh T. Ebong joined Romania Minister of Energy Sebastian Burduja and industry executives from US firms Fluor Corporation and NuScale Power and Romania firms RoPower and SN Nuclearelectrica to celebrate a significant milestone in Romania’s flagship small modular reactor (SMR) project, utilising NuScale technology, advancing it towards deployment in 2029.”
“This investment has the potential to put our country on the map of the most important global energy innovation centres,” said Romanian Energy Minister Burduja. “Romania aims to become an example for other countries in the region, where there are dozens of thermal power plants on similar coal and could be transformed faster by SMR technology in nuclear power generation…. Moreover, this goal will also play a crucial role in balancing the energy system being much more flexible in terms of energy production adjustment compared with large nuclear reactors.”
Alexandru-Mihai Ghigiu, head of the Prime Minister’s Chancellery, said: “With the strong support of the United States, Romania will double its nuclear energy production and will be among the first countries in the world to implement the small modular nuclear reactor technology. Also, with a historical volume of investments in green, nuclear and geothermal energy, modernisation of the national system and improvement of interconnection capacity with all surrounding countries, Romania has all the advantages to become a regional leader in the energy sector.”
SNN CEO Cosmin Ghiță said the continued development of the SMR project “is a testament to the strong partnership between Romania and the United States, reflecting our shared goals of energy security and environmental stewardship”. RoPower Nuclear CEO Melania Amuza noted: “We are building a solid project basis for the future SMR plant at Doicești. The signing of FEED 2 marks the beginning of a strong partnership with the American company Fluor, with its rich and global experience in the development of large industrial energy projects.”
Pierre Bechelany, President of Fluor’s LNG & Power division said: “We are pleased to continue our role in supporting this important project to deploy the next generation of nuclear power to produce clean and reliable baseload electricity for Romania and Europe. When completed, the plant will be the first of its kind in Europe.”
SNN said the collaboration between Nuclearelectrica, RoPower Nuclear, Nova Power & Gas (part of the E-INFRA group), Fluor, Samsung C&T Corporation and Sargent & Lundy will facilitate the development and deployment of NuScale small modular reactor (SMR) power plants in Romania, capitalising on the expertise of these companies in the field of nuclear energy.
Under the FEED Phase 2 contract, Fluor is committed to provide RoPower Nuclear with the design and engineering services required for the implementation of the Doicești SMR nuclear project. The provision of these services will be in accordance with best practice in the nuclear industry, as well as the technical and commercial conditions and specifications set by RoPower Nuclear, including safety, non-proliferation, cyber and information security standards.
According to SNN: “At the end of the FEED 2 phase we will have an updated cost estimate for the project, an updated project schedule, as well as the design and all related nuclear safety and security analyses necessary for the final investment decision.”
