More than 80% of the conditions linked to the final investment decision for the small modular reactor (SMR) project at Doicești have not been met; consequently, Nuclearelectrica is proposing to cut expenses to a minimum and reduce project-related staff by at least 60%, stated Cristian Bușoi, State Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, in a Facebook post.
According to Bușoi, Nuclearelectrica has requested that the agenda of the General Meeting of Shareholders (GMS) be expanded to include a shareholder briefing and the adoption of decisions regarding the Doicești SMR project, following an assessment—scheduled for September 30, 2026—of whether the conditions tied to the February 2026 final investment decision have been fulfilled.
Three essential conditions for the project’s continuation remain unresolved, Bușoi noted.
The first condition concerns the framework agreement between Nuclearelectrica (SNN) and the US company NuScale, for which no mutually agreed-upon version yet exists. According to information provided by Bușoi, the US partner has reportedly gradually backed away from initial commitments, and the proposed alternative fails to offer sufficient guarantees, Agerpres reports.
The second condition relates to NuScale’s firm commitment regarding the procurement of the SMR modules. The US company reportedly refused to enter into a binding agreement, and negotiations concerning cost allocation and performance guarantees have been halted. The two conditions aim to ensure an appropriate allocation of risks for a FOAK (First-of-a-Kind) project, which entails the initial implementation of the technology in question.
The third condition concerns the presence of natural gas detected near an old Soceram well—a situation that is delaying site authorization procedures.
Against this backdrop, Nuclearelectrica proposes scaling back the operations of the project company, RoPower, over the next six months by minimizing expenses and reducing the associated workforce by at least 60%.
At the same time, the company proposes notifying NuScale and setting a deadline of no more than 30 days for the fulfillment of the priority conditions.
According to Cristian Bușoi, Nuclearelectrica will simultaneously evaluate other American technologies under the intergovernmental agreement between Romania and the United States—ratified via Law No. 200/2021—as it prepares to revise its strategy regarding small modular reactors.