Ansaldo Nucleare, SACE Sign MoU to Support Nuclear Production in Romania

Ansaldo Nucleare, Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica (SNN), and SACE have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to support the strengthening of the production of nuclear Energy in Romania, specifically linked to the life extension and development of Units 1, 3, and 4 at the Cernavoda power plant. With the insurance support of SACE, the MoU will establish a financing line of up to €2 billion to execute nuclear activities.

The agreement was recently signed at the Ministry of Business and Made in Italy (MIMIT). Currently, two 700 MWe CANDU 6 type units are in operation at the Cernavoda power plant, which became operational in 1996 and 2007, respectively. Together, these units supply approximately 20% of Romania’s energy needs. Ansaldo Nucleare participated in the construction of the units, which are designed for an operating cycle of 30 years. At the end of 2026, Unit 1will reach the 30-year milestone and, as a result, SNN has started the refurbishment process.

Ansaldo Nucleare will be responsible for the engineering and procurement of life extension components for Unit 1 in collaboration with Candu Energy and KHNP, which will respectively take care of the nuclear island and the activities construction. SNN intends to complete Units 3 and 4 at the Cernavoda plant, with Ansaldo Nucleare involved in the process as the company originally designed the balance of plant. The balance of plant design refers to the part of the plant’s systems that enable the transformation of energy derived from nuclear fission into electrical energy.

“The refurbishment of Cernavoda NPP Unit 1 and the completion of Units 3 and 4 after 2031 will generate approximately 66% of Romania’s clean energy, with a significant impact on decarbonization by avoiding 15 million tons of CO₂ on yearly basis,” said Cosmin Ghita, Chief Executive Officer, Nuclearelectrica. “With nuclear energy as a 24/7 available source and over 90% capacity factor, Nuclearelectrica’s nuclear expansion investments will benefit Romania’s long-term energy security, reliability, and value chain socio-economic development, from Romanian suppliers’ chain growth to job creation and a new generation of nuclear specialists.”

In addition to the cooperation of Ansaldo Nucleare, the MoU renews Italy’s support for the Romanian nuclear program. Ansaldo Nucleare will consolidate its role in Romania by involving the Italian nuclear supply chain in the Cernavoda power plant project. The company plans to organize a Supply Chain Day for Italian companies interested in the project, granting business entities access to the Romanian market to develop nuclear programs at the national and international level.

“We are satisfied with this agreement, which allows us to consolidate our collaboration with SNN, a partner with whom we have a relationship of trust that has lasted for over 40 years," said Daniela Gentile, Chief Executive Officer of Ansaldo Nucleare. "Thanks to SACE we can put our expertise at the service of Romania's growth and development, with benefits for the entire Italian energy supply chain".