The Small Modular Reactors (SMR) Project at Doicești is being carried out in accordance with corporate approvals and decisions of the General Meeting of Shareholders, and Nuclearelectrica’s objective is to develop a benchmark SMR project for the European Union space, the company informed in a report sent to the Bucharest Stock Exchange on Monday.

“Thus, according to the OGMA Decision no. 6/04.12.2023, the transition from the FFED (Front End Engineering Design) Phase 1 stage to the FEED Phase 2 phase of the Project based on Small Modular Reactors (SMR) technology was approved. In accordance with the OGMA Decision no. 8/19.07.2025, the mandate of the SNN representative in the General Meeting of Shareholders of RoPower Nuclear S.A. was approved, in order to participate and express a favorable vote on the approval of the conclusion of the FEED Phase 2 Offshore Contract and the FEED Phase 2 Onshore Contract. Thus, based on the corporate approvals, the order to start the works related to the FEED Phase 2 contract, following its signing, was issued on 26.09.2024, the duration of the activities associated with it being estimated, according to the shareholders’ information, at 15 months. Currently, the contract is being carried out strictly according to stages communicated to shareholders and stakeholders, within the development schedule,” the report quoted by Agerpres states.

According to the cited source, the objective of the FEED Phase 2 contract is to advance the steps initiated in the FEED Phase 1 stage and to provide additional data related to the feasibility of the project, which will constitute the assumptions for adopting an investment decision (FID).

“At the end of the FEED Phase 2, SN Nuclearelectrica SA will inform shareholders and investors about the results of FEED 2, the investment decision being significantly conditioned by the delivery by the project partners of the related documentation, in compliance with the quality, costs and other elements of the applicable legislative framework and government support measures”, the report states.

Also, regarding the adoption of an investment decision (FID), following the completion of FEED Phase 2, the company mentions that, similar to the development of the Units 3 and 4 Project, the adoption of the FID also depends, in accordance with the legislation in force, on the European bodies in the field.

“The Doicești SMR Project is being developed in compliance with the best practices in the industry, being evaluated by specialized international bodies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, whose SEED mission (Doicești Site Evaluation Mission) certified the actions taken to date as adequate, including the Doicești site, the direction of the project development being in accordance with the highest standards. Romania, through its experts, is directly involved in the IAEA programs for development and regulatory harmonization to accelerate SMR at a global level”, the report sent to BVB explains.

According to IAEA statistics, Romania, through Units 1 and 2 of the Cernavodă NPP, is in first place globally in terms of average capacity factor since commissioning to date, in compliance with the highest nuclear safety standards, having the necessary experience to contribute to the advancement of the nuclear industry and the acceleration of advanced technologies, in line with the objectives of the European Union (SMR Alliance) and international ones.

The Doicești SMR Project is being developed in partnership with organizations with experience and expertise – Nova Power and Gas, Fluor, NuScale, Sargent & Lundy, Samsung, acting together for a reference project at European level and one that will allow the development of the supply chain and obtain additional guarantees for the development of a regional SMR center through Romania’s experience, with the application of the highest standards in the nuclear industry and solid risk-sharing mechanisms during the development of the project, the report also mentions, which specifies that Entra 1 is not a party to the development of the SMR Project.

“We thank the partners for their demonstrated professionalism and the Romanian and US Governments for their active support and advancement of advanced SMR technology in Romania, simultaneously with the refurbishment of the existing infrastructure for its adequate exploitation, the project being carried out within the framework of the Romania-US Governmental Agreement. We also mention that to date, the project has benefited from financing through SNN loans/cash contribution to share capital from shareholders, without falling under the incidence of state aid legislation. The Romanian Government did not contribute to the financing of the SMR Project by granting grants or other facilities, the project being carried out in strict compliance with the local and European legal framework on state aid, based on and in accordance with the decisions of the shareholders,” the Nuclearelectrica representatives report.

The source quoted by me indicates that another aspect associated with the development of the SMR Project is the training of human resources, Nuclearelectrica being actively involved in the training of a new generation of specialists in the nuclear industry. At the same time, the Romanian university system has also been involved in starting and accelerating this process, such as through the FIRST program (SMR control room simulator) within the Politehnica University of Bucharest for the effective use of SMR technology in the training of a new generation.

“Nuclearelectrica’s objective is to develop a benchmark SMR project for the European Union space, this aspect significantly depending on the dialogue and cooperation, the existence, active and constant, between the partners, with consensual progress in all the aforementioned directions: investment decision, legislative framework and human resources training,” company representatives state.