Romania is benefiting from broad support from the United States of America, says Virgil Popescu, the Minister of Energy, on his Facebook page, after a series of work meetings with representatives of U.S. Department of State, on Tuesday.
"I had a series of work meetings with several members of the State Department. I met with C. S. Eliot Kang, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of International Security and Non-proliferation at the U.S Department of State. His experience in the nuclear energy sector offered us the foundation for a consistent and applied dialogue regarding the project of reactors 3 and 4 from Cernavoda, but also regarding small modular reactors (SMR). Justin Friedman also took part in the talks, who is the Senior Advisor for the U.S Department of State, Director of the Office of Export Cooperation (ISN/ECC) in the State Department's Bureau of International Security and Non-proliferation, who was present in Romania this May, when we announced that we will install the first SMR in Romania in the former thermal plant in Doicesti. We received assurance that our country has all the support for developing the civil nuclear program," Popescu further wrote on his Facebook page.
Furthermore, Virgil Popescu also met with Jose W. Fernandez, Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment at the U.S Department of State, with whom he discussed, on the sidelines of strengthening strategic partnership in the energy sector, about deepening bilateral and commercial relations between the two states. There were also discussions about solutions for increasing energy security, as well as the current geopolitical context.
During his dialogue with Amos Hochstein, Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs and leads the Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR) at the U.S Department of State, the Minister of Energy said that Romanian authorities want to finish the financing stage of reactors 3 and 4 from Cernavoda until the end of this year, and the financial support of American partners is very important.
"He said that he is carefully watching the stage of the project's construction for the two new reactors in Cernavoda, as well as the first small modular reactor, and the USA will offer all required support in order for these projects to be finished," Virgil Popescu also wrote.AGERPRES