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Nuclearelectrica inks first contract with Candu Energy to refurbish Cernavoda's Unit 1
Nuclearelectrica announces the Unit 1 Refurbishment Project's advancement by signing the first contract with Candu Energy, member of the SNC-Lavalin group, and the Design Authority of Unit 1 and OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) for CANDU technology, in phase II of the project, according to a Nuclearelectrica press release issued on last Thursday .
Under the contract, Candu Energy will provide engineering services for the elaboration of the technical documentation for the purchase of the long-cycle components of the reactor, which will be replaced at the Refurbishment of Unit 1, within the process called "reactor retubing" (Replacement of Fuel Channels, Calandria tubes, feeder coupling).
Candu Energy will also provide engineering services to evaluate the state of the set of specialized tools that will be used to replace the reactor components and to develop the documentation for the purchase of components that need to be replaced / modified.
The CANDU reactors have an initial life span of 30 years, which can be extended for another 30 years, following a refurbishment process, which Nuclearelectrica is currently doing with Unit 1, which was put into commercial operation in 1996.
The refurbishment of CNE Cernavoda Unit 1 represents one of the main investment projects carried out by the National Company Nuclearelectrica SA (SNN) and was approved by the shareholders of SNN, through the Decision of the Extraordinary General Assembly of shareholders of SNN no. 27/23.12.2013.
The Unit 1 Refurbishment Project, started in 2017, is implemented in three stages, in line with international experience and practice in the field.
"We are proud to sign the first contract with Candu Energy, which is advancing the Unit 1 Refurbishment Project at CNE (nuclear power plant) Cernavoda. Romania needs clean, stable and accessible nuclear power generation capacities as a solution for achieving energy security and protecting the consumer. We have a long-term mission to generate clean energy at excellence standards, and the refurbishment of Unit 1 will provide Romania with another 30 years of energy in the band", said Cosmin Ghita, CEO Nuclearelectrica.
At the same time, given the complexity and strategic importance of the project, the company has hired since 2021 over 100 new colleagues, who will be part of the organizational structure of the project and who benefit from specialization in accordance with nuclear standards. Some of the newly hired will be sent for specialization in plants in Canada, who have already gone through the experience of retooling nuclear units.
"CNE Cernavoda has over 25 years of expertise in nuclear operation at the highest safety standards. We have a highly qualified staff, and the Unit 1 refurbishment project capitalizes on this expertise. The refurbishment of a nuclear unit is a very complex process, similar to the construction of new nuclear units, a project for which the CNE Cernavoda refurbishment team is being prepared. We are pleased to start the collaboration for this strategic project with Candu Energy," said Sorin Ghelbereu, Director of Strategic Projects, CNE Cernavoda.
For his part, Joe St. Julian, president for nuclear energy at SNC-Lavalin, expressed satisfaction to continue "our relationship of over ten years with Nuclearelectrica and Romania, in the context in which Nuclearelectrica is preparing its CANDU reactors to serve future generations as effectively as past generations have served."
As an administrator and manufacturer of original equipment of the CANDU technology, we know best this type of reactor and how to successfully achieve a refurbishment of it. We want to design a better future for our planet and for the people, and we are proud that our CANDU technology will continue to contribute to the prosperity of Romania and the Romanians: by providing carbon-free, band-free electricity that the economy can rely on in any weather conditions and independently of the geopolitical context, for the next 30 years, he added.
Benefits of the Unit 1 Refurbishment Project: 30 more years of operation starting with 2029; approximately 5.5 million MWh of clean energy, net delivered annually to National Power Grid (SEN), at the lowest cost of all energy sources; hundreds of new jobs; contributions to the economy; over 5 million tonnes of CO2 avoided annually.
Unit 1 of CNE Cernavoda, with 700 MW installed power was commissioned in 1996 and has so far delivered over 127 million MWh, which represents 9% of the consumption at national level in 25 years. Unit 1 also avoided releasing 125 million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, which is the equivalent of the emissions produced by all vehicles in Romania for over 6 years.