EU Commission clears Romania's plans to build two new nuclear reactors

The European Commission has issued a positive opinion on the technical and nuclear safety aspects of the project for units 3 and 4 of Romania’s only nuclear power plant, the Romanian Energy Ministry announced on Tuesday.

With the Commission’s green light, the plant, managed by the country’s sole nuclear power producer, the state-owned Nuclear Electric Company, and located in the southeastern town of Cernavodă, will receive two additional CANDU reactors.

Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja said on Tuesday that the two new reactors are expected to “make an essential contribution to national and regional energy security by producing clean, zero-emission energy.”

The Commission’s opinion confirms that the project is in line with the objectives of the Euratom Treaty, which requires nuclear developers to notify the Commission in advance of investment projects and demonstrate compliance with the highest nuclear safety standards. It also contains several recommendations typical of such projects.

With four nuclear units soon to be operating, Romania is expected to avoid 20 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year and create more than 19,000 jobs in related industries.

Once the two units come on stream, Romania’s electricity mix will change significantly, with nuclear power expected to account for around 30% of the country’s electricity production over the next decade, up from about 20%, the Nuclear Electric Company added.