Nuclearelectrica's SMR venture and steelmaker Donalam sign MoU

RoPower is a joint venture between Romania’s state-controlled nuclear energy giant Nuclearelectrica and private power group Nova Power & Gas, which is part of the E-Infra group which owns the Doicești coal plant site which is due to be transformed to feature six power modules supplied by US firm NuScale for a generating capacity of 462 MWe.

The signing of the MoU took place at the #atoms4climate pavilion at the 27th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP27) in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt. The two companies also joined the United Nations’ 24/7 Carbon Free Energy Compact supporting moves to enable access to carbon-free energy.

The Romanian SMR project envisages solar production capacity at the same site providing a joint nuclear-renewable solution to optimise production capacity in what it hopes will be a vision of the generation sources for the power grid of the future. Nuclearelectrica said it hoped that Romania’s plans to achieve "the first green steel facility supported by clear energy produced by SMRs and photovoltaic panels can encourage even more steps and similar collaborations with industry".

Cosmin Ghita, CEO of Nuclearelectrica and President of RoPower Nuclear, said: "We trust our example showcases ways to advance the Paris Agreement targets, inspires further industry actions, encourages global and European environmental policies, and both governmental and private financing support for industrial companies with strong economic and environmental strategies derived from a sustainable approach."

Carlo Beltrame, CEO Romania & France and Business Development Manager, AFV Beltrame Group, said: "We are fully dedicated to accomplishing our vision for a sustainable business and to turning into reality our ambitious investment plans for our operations in Romania … energy security has lately become a topic of great relevance. Our plan to build, in the near future, the photovoltaic park in Târgoviște as well as the partnership with RoPower, are two of the solutions for ensuring our access to affordable and sustainable energy in the long run."