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Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca met, at the Victoria Govermental Palace on Monday, Deputy Secretary with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) David M. Turk, with European energy security and enlarging the civil nuclear programme in Romania being among the discussion topics.
According to a Romanian Government release, on this occasion the two high officials underscored the importance of the partnership relation between Romania and the U.S., in the context of the need to enlarge Romania's electricity production capacities, as part of the demarches that can contribute to consolidating security in the region.
"Thus, building reactors 3 and 4 at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant, as well as the maintenance works needed at Unit 1 represent necessary stages for reaching the level ensuring energy independence in Romania. The new projects that will consolidate these progresses are related to the Small Modular Reactor (SMR) implementation, based on the U.S. NuScale company technology. The main benefits guaranteed through implementing these solutions are aimed at both decarbonisation - an important European objective, as well as the high level of security under which the investments would be made," the release reads.
At the same time, the Prime Minister conveyed gratitude for the support granted to the European energy system.
"We want to develop the strategic partnership with the United States of America in other relevant areas, such as the industrial, economic, research-development, nuclear ones. Romania is the only European country with North-American nuclear technology. We need new energy resources and there is also a political consensus to develop projects in the nuclear area," Ciuca said.
The quoted source points out that both sides voiced availability to develop the Romania-U.S. partnership both in the area of using nuclear energy and in the exploitation of gas, oil, energy from renewable sources, with an action plan to be drawn up in this respect.
Energy Minister Virgil Popescu and Nuclearelectrica Director General Cosmin Ghita participated in the meeting.
AGERPRES.
