Romanian state-owned nuclear power producer Nuclearelectrica has signed a major engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract to extend the life of the first nuclear reactor at the country’s Cernavoda nuclear power plant (NPP).

The €1.9bn ($1.97bn) deal was awarded to a consortium of four companies: Italy’s Ansaldo Nucleare, Candu Energy, an AtkinsRéalis company, Canadian Commercial Corporation and Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP).

The Cernavoda NPP Unit 1 refurbishment project is pending approval from the Canadian government and Nuclearelectrica shareholders.

The main scope of the EPC contract involves developing a detailed design and execution plan, procuring equipment and materials, retubing works and refurbishment works and the construction of infrastructure.

AtkinsRealis will handle engineering and procurement for modifications to the nuclear steam plant, along with the maintenance of retube tooling, the remaining retube engineering and the procurement not included in the engineering, technology and procurement contract signed with SNN in 2023.

Retubing the fuel channels and replacing components such as pressure tubes, calandria tubes and feeders in a CANDU reactor extends its lifespan, enabling Unit 1 at Cernavoda to operate safely until 2054.

The refurbishment aims to ensure the unit’s operation for another lifecycle and the works are expected to commence in February 2025.

Nuclearelectrica CEO Cosmin Ghiță stated: “The goal for Cernavodă NPP Unit 1 refurbishment is to ensure the operation of the unit for another life cycle in conditions of safety and economic efficiency.

“To achieve this objective, all the preparation and implementation activities of U1 refurbishment project are carried out according to standards of excellence and the international experience gained from the refurbishment of the other CANDU nuclear units worldwide.

“This is a key project which will extend U1’s operational life by 30 years to support Romania’s decarbonisation goals by avoiding an additional 5 million tons of CO₂emissions annually. We are keen to work with internationally renowned partners that have historically contributed to the current operational performance of Cernavoda Units 1 and 2.”

Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power president and CEO Whang Joo-ho stated: “This achievement reaffirms the global recognition of KHNP’s operation and maintenance expertise. With over 50 years of experience in NPP operations and project management, including the refurbishment of Wolsong Unit 1, KHNP is committed to completing this project successfully, on time, and within budget.”

The company will collaborate with South Korean firms Doosan Enerbility, Hyundai E&C, and Samsung C&T to execute the contract.

The refurbishment will include replacing major components and constructing infrastructure like a radioactive waste storage facility.

Romania’s two 706MW nuclear reactors, using Canadian CANDU technology owned by AtkinsRealis, contribute to a fifth of the country’s power production, as reported by Reuters.

Romania plans to add two more 700MW nuclear reactors by 2031 and 2032 respectively. The country’s first reactor was connected to the grid in 1996.

Nuclearelectrica aims to build a small modular reactor using technology from US company Nuscale Power.