Romania has taken a significant step toward expanding its nuclear generation capacity after a local partnership was selected to support the next stage of works at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant. A consortium formed by engineering company Teknosec and the state-owned nuclear research institute RATEN has been chosen to provide technical consultancy services for the construction of units 3 and 4.
The advisory contract, valued at approximately €5.9 million, was awarded by EnergoNuclear, the project company fully owned by Nuclearelectrica, which operates the existing plant. The contract comes well below the original budget estimate and has a two-year execution period, according to Romania’s public procurement system.
Under the agreement, the consultants will manage a broad range of preparatory tasks during the project’s second development phase. Their responsibilities include preparing preliminary and detailed engineering documentation, completing safety analyses and permitting files, updating cost projections for construction and commissioning, and delivering a 24-month implementation timetable to support the final investment decision.
This consultancy award follows a major contract signed in late 2024, when EnergoNuclear appointed an international consortium led by Fluor and Sargent & Lundy from the United States, together with Canadian Atkins Realis and Italian Ansaldo, to manage engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) activities for the two new reactors.
Currently, Cernavoda NPP supplies roughly one-fifth of Romania’s electricity through its two operational units, each rated at 700 MW and built using CANDU 6 technology, which relies on natural uranium and heavy water. The planned units 3 and 4 will replicate this design, adding another 1,400 MW to the network once completed around 2031. The total investment for the expansion is estimated at €7 billion, with funding expected primarily from the United States, Canada, and Italy, complemented by loans from international commercial banks.
