Laurentis Energy Partners wins Owner’s Engineer contract for Romanian Candu refurbishment
12 August 2021
Canada’s Laurentis Energy Partners on 9 August announced a contract award to its subsidiary, Canadian Nuclear Partners (CNP), as Owner’s Engineer to support refurbishment at Romania’s Candu nuclear generating station in Cernavoda. The contract from Romanian utility Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica (SNN) calls on Laurentis engineers and experts to provide technical assistance, representing the utilities’ interests in planning the refurbishment of Cernavoda unit 1.
Laurentis is a subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation (OPG), which owns and operates Candu nuclear generating stations at the Darlington and Pickering NPPs in Ontario. “Laurentis and CNP are pleased to support this important project, sharing our deep expertise in Candu technology,” said Jason Van Wart, Vice President of Laurentis Energy Partners. Cosmin Ghita, CEO of SNN said: ““SNN greatly values its relationship with Laurentis, a key partner in our mission to deliver clean, safe, reliable and affordable electricity for Romania.”
This is Laurentis’s second contract with SNN for its upcoming refurbishment, scheduled to begin in 2026-27 pending regulatory approval. Earlier this year, Laurentis and CNP announced their first contract, to develop a conservation program that will protect the integrity of SNN’s Unit 1 reactor water systems during the refurbishment.
As Owner’s Engineer, Laurentis is providing a team of experts and technical skills in refurbishment to support SNN’s activities in several areas, including: plant-condition assessment; planning refurbishment work; planning infrastructure to support the project; cost estimates and analyses; project modifications to ensure nuclear security, operability, and maintainability of the unit; and reactor performance.
The role of Owner’s Engineer is separate and distinct from the role of an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractor, which a utility would hire to remove and replace reactor components.
