Nuclearelectrica and partners sign MoU for NuScale plants

Wednesday, 14 June 2023

Under the MoU the companies will work together to support the development of NuScale VOYGR power plants - which feature its SMRs - at a former coal-fired plant at Doicești in Romania and also at other potential locations across the region. Nuclearelectrica says that the SMR plant at Doicești - due to be the first NuScale one outside of the USA - will directly create 190 permanent jobs plus potentially thousands more for companies seeking to take advantage of a "clean, stable, affordable and safe energy source".

They believe that the combined expertise of those involved means that "in important areas of development, such as project planning, obtaining licences and authorisations, engineering, procurement, construction, operation, maintenance, decommissioning, financing and capitalisation of local resources" they will be able to help "regional states that share the same interest in the development of SMRs to benefit from experience and implement SMRs under conditions of safety and in accordance with national energy needs".

Cosmin Ghiță, general manager of Romanian nuclear power plant operator Nuclearelectrica, said: "The deployment of small modular reactors is an unprecedented international cooperative effort to address energy and decarbonisation needs. The SMR project will ensure energy security, local and regional development, reuse of former coal-fired power plant sites and will provide multiple economic and social benefits."

Se Chul Oh, president and CEO of South Korea's Samsung C&T Corporation, said: "I am honoured to participate in the SMR project in Romania alongside such outstanding partners from the global nuclear industry" and added that, for Romania and Europe to achieve carbon neutrality objectives, "I believe that the SMR project in Romania is a very important first step".

John Hopkins, president and CEO of NuScale Power, said: "NuScale is excited to continue working with our partners to advance the deployment of our cutting-edge SMR technology in Central and Eastern Europe and, in particular, in Romania as part of the Doicești project." He said such partnerships "are critical to achieving our global decarbonisation goals".

Teofil Mureșan, CEO of E-INFRA, the Romanian holding company which includes energy company Nova Power & Gas, said: "We deeply appreciate the extent of the national and international collaboration efforts undertaken for the development of the SMR project in Doicești, Romania, by bringing together such expertise and know-how. The former coal-fired power station will be restored as a modern, carbon-free facility, enabling local socio-economic development and strengthening European energy security."

Jim Breuer, group president of the energy solutions division for Texas, USA-based engineering and construction giant Fluor Corporation, said they looked forward to working with all the partners "on this important initiative to deliver stable, clean and reliable energy to Central and Eastern Europe, When completed, the Doicești plant will be able to produce up to 462 megawatts. With this project, Romania will become a leader in the progress of Europe's extremely important energy security and decarbonisation goals".

The NuScale Power Module on which the VOYGR nuclear power plants are based is a pressurised water reactor with all the components for steam generation and heat exchange incorporated into a single 77 MWe unit. It is the first SMR design to receive approval from the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The company offers a 12-module VOYGR-12 power plant capable of generating 924 MWe as well as the four-module VOYGR-4 (308 MWe) and six-module VOYGR-6 (462 MWe) plants and other configurations based on customer needs.