Canadian company Candu Energy has signed a memorandum of understanding with China Nuclear Power Engineering Company, according to representatives of the Canadian company, quoted by Romanian news website Hotnews.ro.

Candu Energy “welcomes” China’s intention of getting involved in the construction of reactors 3 and 4 at the Cernavoda site, Romania, but adds that there is already an ongoing process of selecting the foreign partner for building the two reactors.

The memorandum between the two companies was signed “for possible future collaboration,” reports Hotnews.ro.

The information about the memorandum of understanding between the Chinese and the Canadian companies comes soon after Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica and China General Nuclear Power Group signed a letter of intent for investment and development of the two additional nuclear units at the Cernavoda site.

At that moment, Candu Energy welcomed the Romania-China letter of intent, adding in a statement that the company is “ready to participate in the delivery of these two CANDU nuclear power plants”.

“We have strong ties in Romania through our previous CANDU projects there and are excited about the opportunity to deliver two more units,” said Ala Alizadeh, Candu Energy Senior Vice President, Marketing and Business Development.

Romania already has two CANDU 6 nuclear reactors, which went into service in 1996 and 2007 respectively.

Romania’s Cernavoda nuclear power plant produces around 20 percent of the country’s energy.

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com