Nuclearelectrica confirms plans to replace coal-power plants with small nuclear reactors
The locations of the small-sized nuclear reactors in Romania will be decided under a study that started last year, but some of them may coincide with the coal-fired power plants that were closed or are going to be closed, confirmed Teodor Chirica - CEO of Romanian nuclear company Nuclearelectrica, which recently sealed with the US peer NuScale a memorandum for the development of such power generation units across the country.
"The study takes into account elements of meteorology, population, geological structure," explained Chirica in a show aired by public TV station TVR 1, quoted by Economedia.ro.
The US and Romania announced last week in Glasgow plans for the development, by 2028, of small-sized reactors in Romania for electricity generation.
The US company NuScale Power has developed a technology based on small nuclear reactors (like the ones used by nuclear submarines), for which it received US authorization. In Europe, however, these nuclear mini-reactors are not yet licensed.
In addition to Romania, NuScale Power has concluded memoranda with state energy companies from Poland, Bulgaria and Ukraine.