According to Romanian Minister of Energy Sebastian Burduja, EnergoNuclear, a subsidiary of Nuclearelectrica responsible for the construction of units 3 and 4 at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant, is set to sign the development contract next month during the 2024 UN Climate Change Conference (COP 29).
The contract for engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) will be awarded to a consortium that includes US energy engineering firms Fluor and Sargent & Lundy, Canadian company Atkins Realis and Italy’s Ansaldo. Minister Burduja highlighted that funding will primarily come from participating countries, with contributions of $3 billion from the US EXIM Bank, 2 billion Canadian dollars from Canada, and 2 billion euros from Italy.
COP 29 is scheduled to take place in Baku, Azerbaijan, from November 11 to 22. Currently, the Cernavoda nuclear power plant supplies about 20% of Romania’s electricity demand. Units 1 and 2 each have an installed capacity of 700 MW, utilizing CANDU 6 technology, which employs natural uranium as fuel and heavy water as both moderator and coolant. Units 3 and 4 are expected to be completed by 2032, maintaining the same capacity and technology.
