Nuclearelectrica and NuScale Power announced the approval by the National Commission for the Control of Nuclear Activities (CNCAN) of the Licensing Basis Document (LBD) for the NuScale nuclear power plant, equipped with small modular reactors (SMR), with a gross installed power of 462 MWe (6 modules, each with an installed capacity of 77 MWe per module). Following a complex evaluation, CNCAN issued the official letter of approval in August 2023, which certifies the compliance of the Basic Authorization Document with national regulatory requirements, according to the SNN press release.
Thus, an information obtained by Energynomics “from sources”, according to which all 6 SMRs will be located in Doicești, becomes official.
The approval of the Basic Authorization Document represents a key stage of the Small Modular Reactors Project, which will facilitate the implementation of the authorization process for all stages of development of the NuScale nuclear power plant in Romania.
The Authorization Base Document sets out the authorization requirements for the six-module plant design, regulatory documents, applicable codes and standards, both national and international, as well as design features that ensure the fulfillment of nuclear safety requirements and criteria.
The Authorization Basis document also maps the reference design authorization basis in the Design Certificate issued by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for NuScale’s Standard Plant Design (SPD) and the requirements of authorization and the Romanian nuclear security regulations, issued by CNCAN, in order to establish the authorization framework for all stages of project development.
In addition, the Base Authorization Document allows the transition to the next stages of the project, as it sets the stage for the initiation of the second phase of the design and engineering study (FEED). The approval of the Basic Authorization Document by CNCAN provides an authorization plan for the completion of the critical stages of the project – siting, construction, commissioning and operation.
RoPower and NuScale are currently running phase 1 of the FEED study, which consists of a series of engineering and design activities and studies, technical analysis of the preferred candidate site, which is the former Doicești thermal power plant, timing and cost estimation. During the course of the FEED study, the recommendations of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) are also applied, following the IAEA Site and External Events Design (SEED) mission, carried out in August 2022, at the request of Nuclearelectrica.
“The approval of the Basic Authorization Document by CNCAN, following a complex and thorough evaluation process, specific to a regulatory body in the nuclear field, reveals NuScale’s strong commitment and high level of responsibility towards complying with the regulations and the project schedule. For us , at Nuclearelectrica, is an additional, independent confirmation of a solid, safe and reliable SMR technology and an additional motivation to continue implementing an SMR technology project that will reshape the role of nuclear energy in the economy,” said Cosmin Ghiță, CEO of Nuclearelectrica
“This is an important step forward in our journey to bring our clean and reliable technology to Romania to help power the country,” said John Hopkins, President and CEO of NuScale. “As the first and only SMR technology to be approved by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (US NRC), we are proud to receive another top nuclear safety approval of our project from the National Commission for the Control of Nuclear Activities in Romania.”
Romania, through the RoPower project company, founded by Nuclearelectrica and Nova Power & Gas (part of the E-Infra group), is the first country in Europe and the second in the world, after the United States, to take the first steps towards implementing the SMR technology of NuScale, with a 6-module plant and an installed capacity of 462 MWe this decade.