Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant

Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant
The Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant
Location of Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant in Romania
Country	Romania
Coordinates	44°19′20″N 28°03′26″E / 44.32222°N 28.05722°E / 44.32222; 28.05722Coordinates: 44°19′20″N 28°03′26″E / 44.32222°N 28.05722°E / 44.32222; 28.05722
Construction began	1980s
Commission date	2 December 1996
Operator(s)	Nuclearelectrica
Nuclear power station
Reactor type	PHWR
Reactor supplier	CANDU
Power generation
Units operational	2 x 700 MW
Units planned	2 x 750 MW
Annual generation	11,618 GW·h^[1]

Unit 1

The nuclear power plant in 2006. At the time, only Unit One, on the far right was in commercial operation, unit two came into operation in 2007.

The Nuclear Power Plant in Cernavodă (Romanian: Centrala Nucleară de la Cernavodă) is a nuclear power plant in Romania. It produces around 20% of the country's electricity. It uses CANDU reactor technology from AECL, using heavy water produced at Drobeta-Turnu Severin as its neutron moderator and water from the Danube – Black Sea Canal for cooling.

By using nuclear power, Romania is able to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by over 10 million tonnes each year.

The power plant was designed in Canada by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited in the 1980s, and was contracted during the Communist era. The initial plan was to build five units. Units 1 and 2 are currently operational. Three more partially completed CANDU reactors exist on the same site, part of a project discontinued at the fall of Ceauşescu regime.

CNE-INVEST is responsible for the preservation of Units 3-5.

Reactors

Unit 1

Unit 1, a CANDU 6-type, was finished in 1996 and produces 705.6 MW of electricity.

It was commissioned and began operating at full power in 1996 and has had record capacity factors of 90 per cent since 2005.

Unit 2

A consortium of AECL and Ansaldo Nucleare of Italy, along with the Nuclearelectrica (SNN) SA, Romania’s nuclear public utility, was contracted in 2003 to manage the construction of the partially completed Unit 2 power plant and to commission it into service.

Four years later, Unit 2, another CANDU 6-reactor, achieved criticality on 6 May 2007^[2] and was connected to the national grid on 7 August. It began operating at full capacity on 12 September 2007,^[3] also producing 706MW.

Unit 2 was officially commissioned on Friday, October 5, 2007 during ceremonies attended by Romanian Prime Minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu and senior officials from Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL).^[4] This makes CNE-Cernavoda Station the third largest power producer in the country.

Future expansion

Units 3 and 4

Units 3 and 4 were expected to be CANDU 6 reactors with a similar design to Unit 2 and will each have a capacity of 720 MW.^[5] The project was estimated to take up to six years after the contracts are signed.

In a feasibility study carried out by Deloitte and Touche, the most economically viable scenario would be to build the two phases at the same time, with the cost estimated at €2.3 billion.

On 20 November 2008, Nuclearelectrica, ArcelorMittal, ČEZ, GDF Suez, Enel, Iberdrola and RWE agreed to set up a joint company dedicated to the completion, commissioning and operation of Units 3 and 4. The company named Energonuclear was registered in March 2009.^[6]

20 January 2011, GDF Suez, Iberdrola and RWE pulled out of the project, following ČEZ which had already left in 2010, citing "Economic and market-related uncertainties surrounding this project, related for the most part to the present financial crisis, are not reconcilable now with the capital requirements of a new nuclear power project".^[7] That left Nuclearelectrica with large majority share in the project, prompting a search for other investors. In November 2013, China General Nuclear Power Corp. (CGN) signed an agreement to invest in the project at an undisclosed level. Shortly thereafter, AcelorMittal and Enel announced plans to sell their stakes.^[8]

In 2016 the Romanian government gave support for the creation of a joint venture led by CGN to progress the project.^[9]

Unit 5

There are currently no plans to complete Unit 5 at this time. However, the possibility of finishing construction remains.

Incidents

On 30 May 2009, Unit 1 of the Romania's Cernavoda NPP was shut down following a water pipe crack. The Cernavoda NPP's second unit was undergoing an overhaul, so it was not producing any electricity.^[10]
On 8 Apr 2009, the second reactor of the Romania's Cernavoda NPP was shut down due to a malfunction which led to electrical outages.^[11]
On 16 January 2010, the first unit was shut down due to steam leakage.^[12]

References

↑ http://www.iea.org/statistics/statisticssearch/report/year=2013&country=ROMANIA&product=ElectricityandHeat
↑ Cernavoda 2 achieves initial criticality
↑ Hotnews.ro, Reactorul 2 de la Cernavoda a ajuns la capacitate maxima ("The second unit at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant reached at full capacity "), September 12, 2007
↑ 2007 News Releases - Second CANDU Unit in European Union Officially In Service
↑ www.adevarul.ro 12 February 2010
↑ "Draft agreement finalized for Romanian reactors". World Nuclear News. 2008-03-07. Retrieved 2008-03-07.
↑ rwe.com 20 January 2011: GDF SUEZ, RWE and Iberdrola have decided not to continue to participate in the Cernavoda nuclear project in Romania
↑ "UPDATE 2-RWE, Iberdrola, GDF Suez exit Romania nuclear plan". Reuters. 20 January 2011.
↑ "Romania expresses support for China's role at Cernavoda". World Nuclear News. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 27 January 2016.
↑ Romania’s Nuclearelectrica Shuts Down Nuke Over Water Pipe Crack, Mediafax 2009-05-30
↑ Romania's Cernavoda Nuclear Plant Restarts 2nd Reactor, Mediafax, 2009-04-09
↑ http://www.adevarul.ro/financiar/Unitatea_1_a_centralei_de_la_Cernavoda_a_fost_oprita_0_190781275.html

External links

Official site (Romanian)
CBC clip discussing the construction of the plant

High Capacity Power stations in Romania

(more than 100 MW installed capacity)

Thermal	Turceni - 1,650 MW Rovinari - 1,320 MW Mintia-Deva - 1,285 MW Crivina - 990 MW Brazi - 950 MW Petrom Brazi - 860 MW Luduș-Iernut - 800 MW Sărdănești - 700 MW Borzești - 655 MW Brăila - 646 MW Ișalnița - 630 MW Bucharest South - 550 MW Galați - 535 MW Doicești - 320 MW Bucharest West - 310 MW Craiova II - 300 MW Paroșeni - 300 MW Alum Tulcea - 250 MW Borzești II - 250 MW Fântânele - 250 MW Halânga - 247 MW Buzău - 207 MW Oradea - 205 MW Govora - 200 MW Progresu - 200 MW Brazi II - 150 MW Giurgiu - 150 MW Iaşi I - 150 MW Pitești Sud - 136 MW Arad - 112 MW Brașov - 100 MW Grozăvești - 100 MW Iaşi II - 100 MW Holboca - 100 MW Palas - 100 MW Suceava - 100 MW

Hydroelectric	Iron Gate I - 2,192 MW Tarniţa - Lăpuşteşti - 1,000 MW Iron Gate II - 591 MW Lotru-Ciunget - 510 MW Râul Mare - 335 MW Mărişelu - 221 MW Vidraru - 220 MW Bicaz-Stejaru - 210 MW Ruieni - 153 MW Nehoiaşu - 152 MW Oaşa - 150 MW Şugag - 150 MW Remeți - 146 MW Brădişor - 115 MW Tismana - 106 MW

Nuclear	Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant - 1,400 MW

Wind farms	Sinus Holding - 700 MW Fântânele-Cogealac - 600 MW Blackstone - 500 MW Deleni - 500 MW Eolica Cogealac - 448 MW Mărişelu - 300 MW Eolica Sǎcele - 252 MW Eolica Casimcea - 244 MW Văcăreni - 240 MW Verbund Casimcea - 225 MW Green Energy - 200 MW Pechea - 150 MW Sabloal Valea Dacilor - 147 MW EDP Cernavodă - 138 MW Eolica Beidaud - 128 MW Eolica Baia - 126 MW Eolica Sarichioi - 102 MW Gheorgheni - 100 MW

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Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant

Reactors

Unit 1

Unit 2

Future expansion

Units 3 and 4

Unit 5

Incidents

See also

References

External links