Romania seeks advice from Areva on second nuclear plant site

Newsroom 26/07/2010 | 11:15

The Economy Ministry has asked French state-owned energy group Areva to advise Romania on the location of a second nuclear power plant, Adriean Videanu, the economy minister, has said. The idea of a second nuclear power plant in Romania has been touted by the media with increasing frequency since the end of 2008, and specialists have mooted a location in Transylvania.

According to the minister, the state will use the same project management mechanism as in the case of Cernavoda units 3 and 4. “We will try to set up a company that will form the investment pool for the second nuclear power plant,” said Videanu, quoted by media reports.

Currently, Romania has two 706 MW reactors at Cernavoda, which account for roughly 18 percent of its power output. The country plans to add two more units there by around 2016 in partnership with internationally-known companies such as Electrabel, Enel, Iberdrola, CEZ, a local unit of ArcelorMittal and RWE.