Nuclearelectrica announces the adoption of the European Commission’s positive point of view regarding the project of Units 3 and 4 at CNE Cernavodă

Nuclearelectrica announces the adoption of the European Commission’s positive point of view regarding the project of Units 3 and 4 at CNE Cernavodă, based on Article 41 of the Euratom Treaty. The project is managed by the Energonuclear project company, wholly owned by Societatea Națională Nuclearelectrica SA (SNN).

The point of view submitted on July 1, 2024 reflects the evaluation carried out by the European Commission – Directorate General for Energy, regarding the technical and nuclear security aspects of the project. Under the Euratom Treaty, nuclear project developers are required to notify the European Commission of planned investments and demonstrate compliance with the highest nuclear safety standards. Energonuclear notified the Commission in relation to the Unit 3 and 4 project in May 2023.

The point of view received is the result of elaborate analyzes of the information provided by the Romanian side, visits to the CNE Cernavodă site and technical discussions held over a period of 13 months. According to the Commission’s assessment, the project to complete the construction of Units 3 and 4 at CNE Cernavodă is in line with the objectives of the Euratom Treaty.

This positive view is accompanied by the usual recommendations for such projects, which aim at the proper application of the Euratom framework in the implementation and during the life of the project. These recommendations will be implemented by the project developer in the following stages.

“The adoption of the European Commission’s positive point of view is a confirmation of our commitment to technical excellence and nuclear security. We are pleased with this significant progress and we trust that the project of Units 3 and 4 at CNE Cernavodă will contribute decisively to energy security and sustainability Romania’s Nuclearelectrica team is ready to implement the Commission’s recommendations and move forward successfully in the next stages of the project. We also thank the Ministry of Energy for its diligent efforts to accelerate the Romanian nuclear program, which includes the refurbishment of Unit 1, the project of Units 3 and 4 CNE Cernavodă and the construction of small modular reactors,” said Cosmin Ghita, CEO of Nuclearelectrica.

The positive point of view communicated to the Romanian side represents an important stage in the implementation of the project, certifying the compliance with the community framework in terms of nuclear security of the CANDU 6 technology and its implementation at Cernavodă. With 4 nuclear units in operation in Romania, it is estimated to avoid the emission of 20 million tons of CO2 annually and create more than 19,000 jobs in the horizontal industry.