NuScale Power and Romania’s RoPower Nuclear S.A. (RoPower), owned in equal shares by S.N. Nuclearelectrica SA and Nova Power & Gas SA, announce the signing of the contract for Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) works, marking a significant step toward the deployment of a NuScale VOYGR small modular reactor (SMR) power plant in Romania, Nuclearelectrica announced.
The FEED work which will be initiated by NuScale will define the major site and specific inputs for a VOYGR-6 SMR power plant which could be deployed at the Doicești Power Station site in Romania. The eight-month project includes the issuance of subcontracts to perform the environmental impact assessment and subsurface geotechnical investigation, the evaluation of site and site-specific requirements for NuScale’s standard plant design, and the development of a project-specific cost estimate.
First touted by President Biden as part of his Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment in June 2022, the commencement of this work is a landmark advancement between NuScale and Nuclearelectrica aimed at deploying the first SMRs in Europe to help meet regional energy security and decarbonization goals.
“NuScale’s commencement of Phase 1 Front-End Engineering and Design work in partnership with Nuclearelectrica/RoPower keeps Romania on the path toward becoming the first country in Europe to benefit from safe, reliable and carbon-free small modular reactor technology,” said John Hopkins, President and Chief Executive Officer of NuScale.
“We’re excited to enter into this next phase of our partnership with Nuclearelectrica and RoPower as our focus turns to the practical next steps toward the deployment of a NuScale VOYGR-6 SMR power plant in Romania.”
”We are proud to advance our partnership with NuScale and start the in-depth analysis and project planning on Doicesti site,” said Cosmin Ghita, CEO of Nuclearelectrica.
“The signing of the contract for FEED work follows nearly four years of collaboration, research, and studies to ensure we select the safest and most performing technology, as well as the appropriate site. It also demonstrates the partners share the same values and commitment to build a greener and more sustainable future for the next generations.”
Commencement of this Phase 1 work follows the June 2022 signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between NuScale and Nuclearelectrica to begin conducting engineering studies, technical reviews, and licensing and permitting activities for the project.