An international consortium led by South Korean state-owned Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co. (KHNP) has launched an overhaul of a reactor at Romania’s only nuclear power plant, Cernavodă. The refurbishment will extend the operating life of Cernavodă’s Unit 1 by 30 years.

The reactor, with a capacity of around 700 MW, has been in operation since 1996, and its 30-year license is set to expire in 2027. The reconstruction project is valued at about USD 2.01 billion, KHNP said following a groundbreaking ceremony.

Romania’s state-run Nuclearelectrica, the operator of the Cernavodă plant, signed an agreement with the consortium last December. The group of contractors includes KHNP, Canada’s AtkinsRealis, the Canadian Commercial Corporation, and Italy’s Ansaldo Nucleare, according to Romania-Insider.

The works, targeted for completion by 2030, include the complete replacement of the reactor systems and power-generating turbines, as well as the construction of new infrastructure, including radioactive waste storage facilities, said KHNP, a subsidiary of Korea Electric Power Corporation (KEPCO).

The overhaul is targeted for completion by 2030

KHNP said that four other South Korean firms – Kepco Plant Service & Engineering, Doosan Enerbility, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, and Samsung C&T- will participate as project partners.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Romanian Minister of Energy Bogdan Ivan said the project would ensure another 30 years of on-grid, environmentally friendly electricity. According to him, it represents the future of Romania’s energy security, accoridng to a report by Profit.ro.

The overhaul will ensure another 30 years of environmentally friendly electricity

Over the last 10 years, Romania has shut down about 56% of its coal- and natural gas-fired capacity, resulting in the country now importing 22% of the electricity it consumes. According to Ivan, this has led Romania to look for alternatives, one of which is nuclear energy.

He recalled that the country was preparing to invest EUR 11 billion in the construction of Units 3 and 4 at the Cernavodă nuclear power plant, adding that “certain phases have already begun.” Ivan also said he believed that in seven years’ time, Romania could become a net exporter of electricity.

The two new reactors would each have a capacity of around 700 MW, according to earlier reports. Cernavodă’s Unit 2, which has been in operation since 2007, also has a capacity of around 700 MW.