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Romania Nuclear Energy a European Catalyst for Small Modular Reactors

Romania is a key market for small modular reactors (SMRs) and will become a catalyst for the development of SMRs in the Southeast European region.

Romania’s 462 MWe project is the most advanced in the European Union, making it the first European market to deploy an SMR (3rd generation technology) in Doicești by 2030. This will increase Romania’s nuclear capacity to a total of 2,480 MWe/2.48 GWe by 2040, representing a significant amount of power capable of powering a large city or a substantial portion of a smaller country.

In addition, Romania owns two operational nuclear reactors at its Cernavoda nuclear site and is in the process of building two additional nuclear reactors, Units 3 and 4, by 2032. Units 1 and 2 are pressurized heavy water reactors that use Canadian Deuterium Uranium technology (3rd generation, CANDU-6 technology) and individually produce 650 MWe, while Units 3 and 4 produce 700 MWe using CANDU technology.

Romania’s current civil nuclear efforts underway include:

1.    Doicești – First Small Modular Reactor

  • Fluor Corporation and RoPower Nuclear signed the FEED 2 SMR contract at the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy and Climate Cooperation (P-TECC) in Bucharest, which is scheduled for completion by the end of 2025. Flour is the lead contractor with NuScale Power, which provides SMR technology. The anticipated Final Investment Decision (FID) will also be completed by early 2026. Construction would follow with a completion target date of 2030.
  • Opportunities for U.S. companies in the SMR project include EPC, operations and maintenance, consulting (safety and regulatory), workforce development and training, supply chain, and manufacturing.  
  • In October 2024, the EXIM Bank Board of Directors approved a final commitment for a $98 million loan for pre-project services.


2.    Cernavodă Power Plant – Expanding CANDU Units 3 & 4

  • The Engineering, Procurement, & Construction Management (EPCM) Contract was signed at COP 29 for the construction of Units 3 and 4 by 2031-2032 between Nuclearelectrica and Fluor, Sargent & Lundy (USA), AtkinsRéalis (CANDU – Canada), and the Ansaldo (Italy) Consortium.
  • The value of this project amounts to $7 billion with financing support from US EXIM ($3.4 billion), Canada ($1.4 billion), and Italy ($2.2 billion).
  • Opportunities for U.S. companies include workforce development, engineering services, technical assistance, and specialized nuclear components and equipment.  

3.    Cernavodă Power Plant – Refurbishing Units 1 & 2

  • On 19 December 2024, an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) contract for the refurbishment of Unit 1 by 2027-2029 was signed between Nuclearelectrica and the Candu Energy Inc. (Canada), Ansaldo (Italy), Canadian Commercial Corporation (Canada), and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (South Korea) Consortium.
  • This project of refurbishing Unit 1 has an estimated value of $2.1 billion.
  • Unit 2 is expected to be refurbished around 2037.
  • Opportunities for U.S. companies include engineering and consulting services, maintenance and support services, specialized nuclear components and equipment, and management services.

For more information, please contact Commercial Service Specialist - Maria Petrescu at maria.petrescu@trade.gov.