The shareholders of Romanian nuclear utility SN Nuclearelectrica SA (SNN) have approved the final investment decision for the small modular reactors (SMR) project in Doicești. The project is being developed by the joint venture RoPower Nuclear (RPN), owned equally by SNN and the private company Nova Power & Gas (NPG) from the E-INFRA group. The project will use technology provided by the US company NuScale Power.
The SMR project was effectively launched in September 2022, following the technology and site selection process, with shareholder approval of the project implementation strategy. In 2023 and 2024, the initial stages of the Front-End Engineering and Design (FEED) 1 and 2 technical analyses were completed, and independent IAEA assessment missions were carried out on the selected site. The FEED 2 stage was completed on schedule and at a lower budget than initially estimated.
“The Final Investment Decision for the SMR project in Doicești marks the transition from the analysis phase to the implementation phase, consolidating Romania’s position at the forefront of the new European nuclear industry,” said Energy Minister Bogdan Ivan. “We are replacing 600 MWe from a former thermal power plant with 462 MWe of clean, stable, and predictable energy. Approximately 4,000 jobs will be generated in the development phase, in construction, production, and component assembly, and in the long term, we are talking about stable, well-paid jobs and the development of a horizontal Romanian industry.”
He added: “Over the next six months, the project will enter a phase of financial structuring and partnership consolidation, during which financing mechanisms will be defined and discussions with potential investors for the execution phase will be advanced. The Doicești project is about Romania building, producing, and consolidating its position in Europe.”
SNN CEO Cosmin Ghiță said that, through the Doicești project, Romania “is positioning itself on the international map of the nuclear industry, through know-how and the development of the supply chain, at a stage in the energy transition where, globally and in Europe, modular reactors are a solution for ensuring energy security and independence”. He cited international reports confirming that the global SMR portfolio has grown by 65% since 2021 to a planned capacity of 22 GWe signalling that “globally, SMRs have become a reality in terms of security of supply and decarbonisation: accepted, developed, accelerated.”
By May 2026, RoPower Nuclear will carry out a series of activities, including:
- completion of geotechnical investigations;
- continuing the licensing process;
- finalising the Pre-Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) contract negotiations;
- negotiating contracts for long-lead items;
- defining supply chains for materials and equipment; and
- preparing the organisation for the Pre-EPC and EPC phases.
The Pre-EPC stage (Stage 3) will last 15 months during which the budget will be drawn up and contractors identified and the contractual structure of agreements decided. These will include the Pre-EPC Agreement, extension of the technology licence agreement with NuScale and environmental impact assessment agreements among others.
“In parallel with these technical steps, efforts will continue in the coming period to structure the investment and financial framework of the project in preparation for the execution phase,” SNN said. “The goal is for the project to become operational at the beginning of the next decade, subject to all corporate approvals and the applicable regulatory framework.”
Profit.ro, citing documents from the Ministry of Energy, RoPower and SNN, said a budget of about $600m is estimated for Stage 3 while the entire project is expected to cost around $4.9bn plus or minus 20-30%
Romania (most likely from a credit line extended by SNN) will pay for just one of the six 77 MWe NuScale SMRs expected to be installed in Doicești. The other five will be paid for only after the first one is proven to be functioning properly.
According to Profit.ro, SNN has not published the list of conditions (Annexes 3 and 6) that could prematurely put an end to the project or prevent the procurement of the last five reactors. Continuation of the project will depend on the investigation and mitigation of possible gas leaks reported at the construction site.
SNN and NuScale signed a memorandum of understanding for the evaluation and development of SMRs in Romania in 2019. An Intergovernmental Agreement with the US was signed in 2020 and ratified in 2021. The former thermal power plant at Doicești was selected at the site for the project in 2022 after which US President Joe Biden announced a $14m Preliminary Engineering Study (FEED) grant for the project. RoPower was launched later in 2022.
