Romania has plans to be the site of one of the first small modular reactors in Europe, and Sargent & Lundy will provide engineering and design support. The firm recently signed on to jointly undertake the second phase of the front-end engineering and design to convert a former coal-burning power plant into a carbon-free SMR capable of producing 462 megawatts of energy.
The project on behalf of RoPower, a joint venture between Romania’s national nuclear firm Nuclearelectrica and Nova Power & Gas, will advance the site-specific design and provide licensing support, updated budgets, schedules, and safety and security analyses to support a financial investment decision. The RoPower SMR project calls for using technology developed by U.S.-based NuScale Power to deploy a RoPower SMR plant using six NuScale Power ModulesTM, each capable of producing 77 Mwe at the former coal plant in the central Romanian village of Doicești, about 55 miles northwest of Bucharest. The project team is led by Fluor and includes support from South Korean-based Samsung C&T.
For Sargent & Lundy, the project is a continuation of its work in conducting the first phase of the FEED. Since 2019, the firm has partnered with NuScale to develop the functional and physical design of the SMR’s nuclear island. As part of the current project, the firm will develop the site-specific design for the project’s nuclear island including the reactor, control, and radwaste buildings.
“Sargent & Lundy has always been at the forefront of advanced nuclear technology,” said the firm’s Chairman, President, and CEO Victor Suchodolski. “This project will fulfill the promise of SMRs, and we look forward to working with RoPower and our partners to help Romania succeed in providing clean, reliable power for its citizens and industry.”
The coal-to-nuclear project has gained strong support from both the Romanian and U.S. governments. The U.S. Export-Import Bank has approved a financial commitment of up to $99 million for the second phase of the FEED. The U.S. EXIM Bank and the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation have also issued letters expressing interest in providing a combined $4 billion in additional funding for the success of the project.