Nuclear Power in Romania
(updated February 2010)
- Romania has two nuclear reactors generating almost 20 percent of its electricity.
- Romania's first commercial nuclear power reactor began operating in 1996. Its second started up in May 2007.
- Plans are well advanced for completing two more units.
- Romanian government support for nuclear energy is strong.
Electricity consumption in Romania has been growing since 1999, and further growth at about 4% pa is envisaged. In 2006, 62.7 billion kWh gross was produced, with net exports of 4.3 TWh. Nuclear energy now provides 10% of the electricity at very low cost, only hydro (29% of supply) is cheaper. In 2006, 40% of electricity came from coal, 19% from gas, 29% from hydro and 9% from nuclear. In 2007 13% was from nuclear, with unit 2 of Cernavoda coming on line.
In 2006, 5.6 TWh was supplied to the grid from Cernavoda-1, which reached a capacity factor of 90.1%. It also supplied 176 GJ of district heating.
Nuclear industry development
In the late 1970s a five-unit nuclear power plant was planned at Cernavoda, on the Danube River. After considering carefully both Russian VVER-440 and Canadian CANDU technology it was decided to adopt the latter. Cernavoda was based on technology transfer from Canada (AECL), Italy and the USA, with Candu-6 heavy-water reactors.
Construction of the first unit started in 1980, and of units 2-5 in 1982. In 1991 work on the latter four was suspended in order to focus on unit 1, responsibility for which was handed to an AECL-Ansaldo (Canadian-Italian) consortium. Unit 1 was connected to the grid in mid 1996 and entered commercial operation in December 1996.
The state nuclear power corporation Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica (SNN), established in 1998, operates Cernavoda. Its capacity factor has averaged over 86% so far and operating and maintenance costs are USD 1.25 cents/kWh. The unit also provides district heating to Cernavoda township, and 148 TJ was supplied in 2003.
Operating Romanian power reactors
| Reactors |
Model |
Net MWe |
First power |
| Cernavoda 1 |
Candu 6 |
655 |
1996 |
| Cernavoda 2 |
Candu 6 |
655 |
2007 |
| Total (2) |
|
1310 MWe |
In 2000 the government decided that completion of Cernavoda-2 was a high priority and supplied some EUR 60 million towards it. It was seen as the least-cost means of providing extra generating capacity for the country. Further finance was raised in 2002-03, with a EUR 382.5 million package announced by the government, including EUR 218 million from Canada. In 2004 an EUR 223.5 million Euratom loan was approved by the European Commission for completion of unit 2, including upgrades.
The 700 MWe (gross) unit has been built by an AECL-Ansaldo-SNN management team, and entered commercial operation in October 2007. Total cost of the project was EUR 777 million. It started up in May 2007 and was grid connected early in August.
Further nuclear power capacity
In 2002 efforts got under way to resume work on Cernavoda unit 3, and SNN commissioned a feasibility study from Ansaldo, AECL and KHNP (S.Korea) in 2003. In August 2004 the government advertised for companies interested in completing Cernavoda unit 3 - a 700 MWe Candu 6 unit - through a public-private partnership arrangement. This proved impractical, and a feasibility study in March 2006 analysed further options for both units 3 & 4, including that of SNN completing unit 3 itself.
However, it was decided to proceed with creating a project joint venture with SNN to complete both 720 MWe units in a EUR 2.5 billion project and then operate them. This would be an independent power producer, with SNN providing operation and maintenance. Twelve potential investors were selected from 15 initial bidders, and in November 2007 binding offers from six companies were accepted: ArcelorMittal (steel maker) of Romania, CEZ of the Czech Republic, Electrabel of Belgium, Enel of Italy, Iberdrola of Spain and RWE Power of Germany. The seven parties including SNN would spread the risk and ease the challenge of project financing.
After complex discussions, in March 2008 a draft investment agreement, including the charter of the new project company EnergoNuclear SA, proposed shares of: SNN 20%, Enel 15%, Suez/Electrabel 15%, RWE Power 15%, CEZ 15%, Iberdrola 10% and steelmaker Arcelor-Mittal 10%. Each would provide that proportion of the financing and take the same share of the power generated. However, the government then decided that SNN would take 51% equity and provide funding of EUR 1.02 billion in loans and loan guarantees. Other funds would be internal and from partial privatising of SNN in 2011. In November 2008 an investment agreement was signed between SNN, with 51% of the project, and Enel, CEZ, GDF Suez, RWE Power (each 9.15%), Iberdrola (6.2%) and ArcelorMittal Galati (6.2%).
EnergoNuclear was formally established in April 2009, and embarked upon an 18 month pre-project phase. Construction cost is expected to be about EUR 4 billion. Overall debt/equity ratio was earlier proposed to be 70/30. However, by September is was evident that SNN could not raise its share of the funds, and would contribute only 20 to 25%, mostly in kind - heavy water and fuel. The other participants would increase their shares accordingly, perhaps to those agreed in March 2008. The first unit is still expected on line in 2016.
In February 2010 Energonuclear signed an agreement with AECL to assess the viability of the project and define what is required to complete and commission units 3 & 4.
Romanian power reactors planned
| reactor |
model |
MWe |
first power |
| Cernavoda 3 |
Candu 6 |
720 |
2016 |
| Cernavoda 4 |
Candu 6 |
720 |
2017 |
| total (2) |
|
1440 MWe (gross) |
|
SNN was planning to complete Cernavoda unit 5 by 2020, but government thinking is now to build further nuclear capacity at other sites. Early plans foresaw ten Candu and three VVER-1000 units for Romania, at several sites. A March 2008 statement by the head of SNN said that up to four more units by 2020 at a new site were proposed, and early in 2009 site selection was still under way. In May it was announced that Tranaveni municipality in Mures district of central Romania was favoured, with a site in the nearby Sibiu district as second choice.
Fuel cycle
Cernavoda-1 has been using 105 tonnes of natural uranium oxide fuel per year, which is fabricated by the SNN subsidiary Fabrica de Combustibil Nuclear (FCN) Pitesti fuel plant. This was qualified by AECL in 1994 and remains the only such plant producing Candu fuel outside Canada.
Prior to 1990 some 31,000 fuel bundles were made, but these were assessed as unusable so were dismantled and refabricated. This material comprised half of the fuel used to early 2007.
At the end of 2003 it started making slightly heavier fuel bundles, and in preparation for unit 2 commissioning, its capacity was doubled to 46 fuel bundles per day.
Heavy water is produced by the Romanian Nuclear Activities Authority (RAAN) in the southwest of the country, near Drobeta-Turnu Severin.
Radioactive Waste Management
Used fuel is stored at the reactors for up to ten years. It is then transferred to a dry storage facility for spent based on the Macstor system designed by AECL. The first module was commissioned in 2003.
Preliminary investigations are under way regarding a deep geological repository.
Near Cernavoda, a low- and intermediate-level waste repository is envisaged from 2005.
A radioactive waste treatment facility operates at Pitesti.
Research
A 14 MWt Triga research reactor is operating at Pitesti, and a 2 MW Russian unit is being decommissioned at Bucharest-Magurele.
Regulation and safety
The Ministry for Education and Research includes the National Agency for Atomic Energy which has a technical and research role.
SNN comes under the Ministry of Economy and Commerce. The Romanian Nuclear Activities Authority (RAAN) operates the Triga research reactor and undertakes R&D on safety, nuclear fuel, radiation protection, reactor systems, and radioactive waste management. It also operates the heavy water plant.
The National Commission for Nuclear Activities Control (CNCAN) is the regulator which was set up under the Nuclear Act 1996 to ensure safety and to licence nuclear sites and operations. It is also responsible for safeguards and other international liaison, ensuring conformity with IAEA standards, as well as radiation protection.
Non-proliferation
Romania is a party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) since 1970 as a non-nuclear weapons state. It is member of the Nuclear Suppliers' Group. The Additional Protocol in relation to its safeguards agreements with the IAEA came into force in 2000.
References:
IAEA 2003, Country Nuclear Power Profiles.
Energy in E. Europe 3/9/04.
參考來源:World Nuclear Association
