As world leaders and government officials convene in Glasgow to address climate change, NuScale Power and Nuclearelectrica will sign a teaming agreement to advance clean energy solutions in Europe.
As world leaders, government officials, non-governmental organizations, and scientists convene in Glasgow, Scotland to raise global climate ambition at this year’s United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26), NuScale Power, the first and only small modular reactor to receive design approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Nuclearelectrica, the Romanian nuclear energy producer, will team up to advance clean nuclear technology in Romania. Following the partnership, Romania has the potential to accommodate the first deployment of SMRs in Europe. This cooperation builds upon the intergovernmental agreement signed by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Romanian Ministry of Energy, a press release issued by Nuclearelectrica informs.
To celebrate this announcement, a press event will be held on Thursday, November 4th, 2021, starting at 12:45 GMT which will be shared live on both NuScale and Nuclearelectrica’s social media channels, Nuclearlectrica also informs.
Romania’s Minister of Energy Virgil Popescu, NuScale Power Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Hopkins, Nuclearelectrica Chief Executive Officer Cosmin Ghita, U.S. Department of State’s Justin Friedman, will provide remarks during the event. Additional government officials from the United States and Romania will also be in attendance.
“The partnership between Nuclearelectrica and NuScale comes at a pivotal time as senior government policymakers from around the world discuss the urgency of accelerating the clean energy transition. NuScale’s SMRs can support international climate goals to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change while strengthening global prosperity, “ the release issued by Nuclearelectrica also informs.
In 2019, NuScale and Nuclearelectrica signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to evaluate the development, licensing and construction of a NuScale SMR in Romania.
In August 2020, NuScale made history as the first and only SMR to receive design approval from the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission– a crucial step towards the construction and deployment of this SMR technology. The company maintains strong program momentum toward commercialization of its SMR technology, including supply chain development, standard plant design, planning of plant delivery activities, and startup and commissioning plans.
About NuScale Power
NuScale Power has developed a new modular light water reactor nuclear power plant to supply energy for electrical generation, district heating, desalination, hydrogen production and other process heat applications. This groundbreaking small modular reactor (SMR) design features a fully factory-fabricated NuScale Power Module™ capable of generating 77 MW of electricity using a safer, smaller, and scalable version of pressurized water reactor technology. NuScale’s scalable design—power plants that can house up to four, six, or 12 individual power modules—offers the benefits of carbon-free energy and reduces the financial commitments associated with gigawatt-sized nuclear facilities. The majority investor in NuScale is Fluor Corporation, a global engineering, procurement, and construction company with a 70-year history in commercial nuclear power.
NuScale is headquartered in Portland, OR and has offices in Corvallis, OR; Rockville, MD; Charlotte, NC; Richland, WA; and London, UK.
About Nuclearelectrica
The National Company “Nuclearelectrica” S.A. is the national Romanian company producing electricity, heat and nuclear fuel, for more than 25 years operations experience. The company operates under the authority of the Romanian Ministry of Energy, the state holding 82.49% of shares and other shareholders, 17.50%, after the listing of the company on the stock exchange in 2013.
Cernavoda NPP Branch operates two CANDU nuclear units, which are two of the most performant units among more than 400 nuclear power plants in the world, a nuclear fuel factory and is in the process of achieving an integrated fuel cycle by acquiring an uranium concentrate processing line to support the company’s long-term investment projects.
Nuclearelectrica has a major role at the national level, contributing over 18% of nuclear energy in total energy production and 33% in total CO2-free energy production in Romania.
Greenpeace disapproves of the “experimental” Romania-US nuclear project
Greenpeace disapproves of the “experimental” Romania-US nuclear project and stresses that Romania “would become a guinea pig for insufficiently tested nuclear technologies,” according to an organization’s release sent to AGERPRES on Wednesday.
“President Klaus Iohannis continues, step by step, to compromise Romania’s presence at the COP26 climate event in Glasgow. Yesterday [Tuesday] he expressed his support for new nuclear capabilities in Romania until 2028, after only a few hours earlier he was promoter of green technologies. We refer to the ‘new’ American nuclear technologies SMR (Small Modular Reactors), not yet authorized in Europe. No nuclear reactor of this type has been built, neither in the USA, nor in any other country in the world. Therefore, Romania would become a guinea pig for insufficiently tested nuclear technologies,” the representatives of the organization claim.
According to them, “nuclear energy poses unacceptable risks to the environment and humanity, as we already know from Chernobyl, Fukushima and other nuclear accidents that have destroyed lives.”
Thus, they say, beyond the problem of imminent disasters and radioactive waste, nuclear energy is far too expensive and difficult to develop.
“It is definitely not a solution to the climate crisis. Renewable energy-based technologies are mature, competitively priced and must be prioritized on the agenda of politicians,” Greenpeace said.
President Iohannis should also know that Romanians do not want new nuclear power plants, according to the representatives of the environmental organization.
“A YouGov poll published in October shows that 66% of Romanians do not want a nuclear power plant to be built in their neighborhood. At the same time, citizens’ support for green energy is very high in Romania. (…) What is the risk of living another nuclear disaster, when we are still witnessing the misfortunes left behind by them?,” the release states.
Greenpeace is an independent international organization, present in more than 50 countries around the world, that works to change attitudes and behaviors, to protect and preserve the environment, and to promote peace. In order to maintain its independence, Greenpeace does not accept donations from governments, political parties or companies, but relies mainly on contributions from individuals.
