Nuclear power in Romania
Encyclopedia
Romania
currently has 1,400 MW of nuclear power
capacity by means of one active nuclear power plant
with 2 reactors, which constitutes around 18% of the national power generation capacity of the country. This makes Romania
the 23rd largest user of nuclear power in the world
.
. Romania decided to use Canadian technology (CANDU reactor
technology from AECL
) and build heavy water reactor
s, using heavy water
produced at Drobeta-Turnu Severin
as its neutron moderator
and water from the Danube
for cooling.
The nuclear power plant
has two fully operational reactors and another three reactors that are partially finished.
Unit One was finished in 1996 and produces 705.6 MW of electricity
.
Unit Two was finished in 2007 and produces 706 MW of electricity
.
Unit Three and Unit Four are expected to be operational by the year 2015 and the total electricity
production of the units will be around 1,500 MW. The total cost of the units is expected to be around US$ 6 billion.
On 7 March 2008, Nuclearelectrica
, ArcelorMittal, CEZ
, Electrabel
, Enel
, Iberdrola
and RWE
agreed to set up a company dedicated to the completion, commissioning and operation of Units 3 and 4. The company is expected to be registered in May 2008.
When all the four reactors will be fully functional the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant
will produce around 40 % of Romania
's total electricity
needs.
In 2002 and 2006, Romania made efforts to complete unit 3 and 4, respectively. The cost estimate put completion of both reactors at EUR
2.5 billion, with seven companies investing into the project, including the state run Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica
. The six other companies include ArcelorMittal, CEZ
, Electrabel
, ENEL
, Iberdrola
, and RWE
. With investment from all these companies, unit 3 will be completed in 2014 and unit 4 in 2015. In March 2008, the Romanian government suggested that it might build another four-unit power plant by 2020.
The company that operates and maintains
the power plant is Nuclearelectrica
.
. The government has conducted studies into a permanent geological repository
.
in Transylvania
that will either have 2 reactors of 1,200 MW each or 4 reactors of 600 MW each with an electricity
generating capacity of 2,400 MW and will be constructed after 2020. Currently, three locations for this plant are being considered, all on the Someş River
. The French company Areva
has been mentioned as a possible constructor for the new plant.
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
currently has 1,400 MW of nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
capacity by means of one active nuclear power plant
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
with 2 reactors, which constitutes around 18% of the national power generation capacity of the country. This makes Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
the 23rd largest user of nuclear power in the world
Nuclear power by country
Thirty countries operate nuclear power stations, and there are a considerable number of new reactors being built in China, South Korea, India, Pakistan, and Russia...
.
Cernavodă nuclear plant
Late in the 1970s, the Romanian Government decided to build a five-unit nuclear power plant in CernavodăCernavoda
Cernavodă is a town in Constanţa County, Dobrogea, Romania with a population of 20,514.The town's name is derived from the Slavic černa voda , meaning "black water". This name is regarded by some scholars as a calque of the earlier Thracian name Axíopa, from IE *n.ksei "dark" and upā "water"...
. Romania decided to use Canadian technology (CANDU reactor
CANDU reactor
The CANDU reactor is a Canadian-invented, pressurized heavy water reactor. The acronym refers to its deuterium-oxide moderator and its use of uranium fuel...
technology from AECL
AECL
AECL is an acronym that can stand for:*Advanced Electronics Company Limited*Atomic Energy of Canada Limited*Australian Egg Corporation Limited...
) and build heavy water reactor
Heavy water reactor
A pressurised heavy water reactor is a nuclear power reactor, commonly using unenriched natural uranium as its fuel, that uses heavy water as its coolant and moderator. The heavy water coolant is kept under pressure in order to raise its boiling point, allowing it to be heated to higher...
s, using heavy water
Heavy water
Heavy water is water highly enriched in the hydrogen isotope deuterium; e.g., heavy water used in CANDU reactors is 99.75% enriched by hydrogen atom-fraction...
produced at Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Drobeta-Turnu Severin
Drobeta-Turnu Severin is a city in Mehedinţi County, Oltenia, Romania, on the left bank of the Danube, below the Iron Gates.The city administers three villages: Dudaşu Schelei, Gura Văii, and Schela Cladovei...
as its neutron moderator
Neutron moderator
In nuclear engineering, a neutron moderator is a medium that reduces the speed of fast neutrons, thereby turning them into thermal neutrons capable of sustaining a nuclear chain reaction involving uranium-235....
and water from the Danube
Danube
The Danube is a river in the Central Europe and the Europe's second longest river after the Volga. It is classified as an international waterway....
for cooling.
The nuclear power plant
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
has two fully operational reactors and another three reactors that are partially finished.
Unit One was finished in 1996 and produces 705.6 MW of electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
.
Unit Two was finished in 2007 and produces 706 MW of electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
.
Unit Three and Unit Four are expected to be operational by the year 2015 and the total electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
production of the units will be around 1,500 MW. The total cost of the units is expected to be around US$ 6 billion.
On 7 March 2008, Nuclearelectrica
Nuclearelectrica
Nuclearelectrica is a state-owned company, its shares being held by the Ministry of Economy and Commerce, which has as main objective power generation with the only nuclear power plant in Romania....
, ArcelorMittal, CEZ
CEZ Group
CEZ Group is a conglomerate of 96 companies , 72 of them in the Czech Republic. It is involved in the electricity generation, distribution, and trade. CEZ Group operates also in Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Kosovo, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and...
, Electrabel
Electrabel
Electrabel is a Belgium-based energy corporation. It is a subsidiary of GDF Suez.-History:Electrabel was established in 1905. Its actual name originates from 1990, after the regrouping of the companies Intercom, Ebes and Unerg....
, Enel
Enel
Enel may refer to:*Enel SpA, an Italian electricity company*Enel , a fictional villain in the One Piece manga and anime series*Enel, meaning third in the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, cf. Awakening of the Elves...
, Iberdrola
Iberdrola
Iberdrola , headquartered in Bilbao, is a private utility with a global footprint and over 150 years of experience...
and RWE
RWE
RWE AG , is a German electric power and natural gas public utility company based in Essen. Through its various subsidiaries, the energy company contributes electricity and gas to more than 20 million electricity customers and 10 million gas customers, principally in Europe...
agreed to set up a company dedicated to the completion, commissioning and operation of Units 3 and 4. The company is expected to be registered in May 2008.
When all the four reactors will be fully functional the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant
Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant
The Nuclear Power Plant in Cernavodă is the only nuclear power plant in Romania. It produces around 20% of the country's electricity. It uses CANDU reactor technology from AECL, using heavy water produced at Drobeta-Turnu Severin as its neutron moderator and water from the Danube – Black Sea Canal...
will produce around 40 % of Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
's total electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
needs.
In 2002 and 2006, Romania made efforts to complete unit 3 and 4, respectively. The cost estimate put completion of both reactors at EUR
Euro
The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...
2.5 billion, with seven companies investing into the project, including the state run Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica
Nuclearelectrica
Nuclearelectrica is a state-owned company, its shares being held by the Ministry of Economy and Commerce, which has as main objective power generation with the only nuclear power plant in Romania....
. The six other companies include ArcelorMittal, CEZ
CEZ Group
CEZ Group is a conglomerate of 96 companies , 72 of them in the Czech Republic. It is involved in the electricity generation, distribution, and trade. CEZ Group operates also in Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Germany, Hungary, Kosovo, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia and...
, Electrabel
Electrabel
Electrabel is a Belgium-based energy corporation. It is a subsidiary of GDF Suez.-History:Electrabel was established in 1905. Its actual name originates from 1990, after the regrouping of the companies Intercom, Ebes and Unerg....
, ENEL
Enel
Enel may refer to:*Enel SpA, an Italian electricity company*Enel , a fictional villain in the One Piece manga and anime series*Enel, meaning third in the fiction of J. R. R. Tolkien, cf. Awakening of the Elves...
, Iberdrola
Iberdrola
Iberdrola , headquartered in Bilbao, is a private utility with a global footprint and over 150 years of experience...
, and RWE
RWE
RWE AG , is a German electric power and natural gas public utility company based in Essen. Through its various subsidiaries, the energy company contributes electricity and gas to more than 20 million electricity customers and 10 million gas customers, principally in Europe...
. With investment from all these companies, unit 3 will be completed in 2014 and unit 4 in 2015. In March 2008, the Romanian government suggested that it might build another four-unit power plant by 2020.
The company that operates and maintains
Maintenance, Repair and Operations
Maintenance, repair, and operations or maintenance, repair, and overhaul involves fixing any sort of mechanical or electrical device should it become out of order or broken...
the power plant is Nuclearelectrica
Nuclearelectrica
Nuclearelectrica is a state-owned company, its shares being held by the Ministry of Economy and Commerce, which has as main objective power generation with the only nuclear power plant in Romania....
.
Nuclear waste
Currently, nuclear waste is stored at the reactors for up to ten years. Then the waste is transported to dry storage, which is based on the Macstor system designed by AECLAECL
AECL is an acronym that can stand for:*Advanced Electronics Company Limited*Atomic Energy of Canada Limited*Australian Egg Corporation Limited...
. The government has conducted studies into a permanent geological repository
Deep geological repository
A deep geological repository is a nuclear waste repository excavated deep within a stable geologic environment...
.
Plans for other power plants
There are also plans for the construction of a second nuclear power plantNuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
in Transylvania
Transylvania
Transylvania is a historical region in the central part of Romania. Bounded on the east and south by the Carpathian mountain range, historical Transylvania extended in the west to the Apuseni Mountains; however, the term sometimes encompasses not only Transylvania proper, but also the historical...
that will either have 2 reactors of 1,200 MW each or 4 reactors of 600 MW each with an electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
generating capacity of 2,400 MW and will be constructed after 2020. Currently, three locations for this plant are being considered, all on the Someş River
Someş River
The river Someş flows through Romania and Hungary.It rises from two headstreams, the Someşul Mare, in the Rodna Mountains in Bistriţa-Năsăud County and the Someşul Mic in the Apuseni Mountains of Cluj County...
. The French company Areva
Areva
AREVA is a French public multinational industrial conglomerate headquartered in the Tour Areva in Courbevoie, Paris. AREVA is mainly known for nuclear power; it also has interests in other energy projects. It was created on 3 September 2001, by the merger of Framatome , Cogema and...
has been mentioned as a possible constructor for the new plant.
Energy production
| Nuclear | Total consumption | Percentage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 0.91 | 58.06 | 1.57% |
| 1997 | 5.13 | 54.65 | 9.39% |
| 1998 | 4.9 | 51.14 | 9.58% |
| 1999 | 4.81 | 48.51 | 9.92% |
| 2000 | 5.22 | 49.65 | 10.51% |
| 2001 | 5.04 | 51.3 | 9.82% |
| 2002 | 5.11 | 52.18 | 9.79% |
| 2003 | 4.54 | 52.42 | 8.66% |
| 2004 | 5.27 | 53.99 | 9.76% |
| 2005 | 5.28 | 56.91 | 9.28% |
| 2006 | 5.63 | 62.69 | 8.98% |
| 2007 | ? | ? | ? |
| 2008 | ? | ? | ? |
| 2009 | ? | ? | 18% |
External links
- http://www.world-nuclear.org/info/inf93.html