European Industrial Alliance for SMRs Selects 2 Projects from Romania
Romania has two projects selected in the first evaluation of the European Industrial Alliance for SMRs, out of a total of nine European projects for the nuclear reactors of the future.
These are the NuScale VOYGR™ SMR project (RoPower Nuclear S.A, developed at Doicesti by NuclearElectrica and Nova Power) and the EU-SMR-LFR project (developed by RATEN at Mioveni, in collaboration with Ansaldo Nucleare, SCK-CEN, ENEA). This marks an important step in strengthening Romania’s position as a regional leader in nuclear energy.
The selected projects are part of a new pan-European initiative aimed at accelerating the development and deployment of SMR technologies in Europe by the early 2030s, including the supply chains for future small modular reactors. They were included in the first batch of Project Working Groups (PWGs), following a rigorous assessment by the Alliance’s Steering Committee and Secretariat.
“The world has been abuzz with news of IT giants’ commitment to invest in small modular reactors (SMRs) – clean, baseload power for data centres. The energy consumption of data centres will increase exponentially in the context of artificial intelligence. Romania is keeping pace with these developments and, through what we have done in recent years, we are positioning ourselves as a leader in the civil nuclear sector. We have tradition since the 70s, we have professionals, but we also have the courage to take on the latest technologies. Romania is already on the radar of major data centre investors. The good news comes from Brussels, which recognizes our efforts. Two Romanian projects have been selected in the first evaluation of the European Industrial Alliance for Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), a European Commission initiative: NuScale VOYGR SMR, developed by Nuclearelectrica and Nova Power, and EU-SMR-LFR, or ALFRED for short, a Generation IV reactor developed by RATEN, in partnership with Ansaldo Nucleare, SCK-CEN and ENEA. Out of 9 projects selected at European level, out of a total of 22 applications, 2 projects are from Romania. A performance to be proud of,” Energy Minister Sebastian Ioan Burduja said.
“I want to believe that this success will convince, or at least make those who tell us that this technology has no future, and that Romania should no longer take on bold energy projects, think again. The development of nuclear energy, at both national and European level, is inextricably linked to reducing our dependence on the Russian Federation, achieving the EU’s competitiveness goals and our common desire for clean and affordable energy. In Romania, we aim to reach in the next few years a capacity of over 3500 MW in nuclear power plants, through projects planned or underway – either at Cernavoda, Doicesti (through SMR NuScale technology) or Mioveni (ALFRED demonstrator),” the minister emphasized.
The European Industrial Alliance for SMRs, created in February 2024, aims to support the deployment of these technologies in Europe, bringing together technology designers, supply chain companies, research institutes and financial organizations. With the selected projects, Romania continues its path to become a pillar of stability and progress in the field of nuclear energy in Central and Eastern Europe.
