A 20 MW SMR project developed by the US-based company Last Energy has received pre-authorization this month from the Romanian Commission for the Control of Nuclear Activities, allowing it to enter the licensing phase, according to an announcement by the company. 

The project is also included in the first list of projects under the European Alliance for SMR.

A closer look at the list of the initial SMR (small modular reactors) projects for which working groups will be established, as published by the European Alliance for SMR, reveals that Romania hosts three such projects, as reported by Economica.net.

The most well-known of the three is RoPower Nuclear, a joint venture between Nuclearelectrica and Nova Power and Gas, which aims to develop an SMR plant using NuScale technology in Doicești - a project that has been discussed for several years. 

The second is RATEN, the National Institute for Nuclear Research and Development, which is collaborating with other European companies on a less publicized European project involving small and modular reactors based on advanced liquid metal technology (SMR-LFR).

However, the third project on the Alliance’s list, developed by the American company Last Energy, is called Project Quantum and has received far less attention in Romania. This project involves a 20 MW SMR, based on the architecture of small reactors already in use within the military sector, rather than core reactor innovations, allowing for faster industrial-scale production of these units for civil use once authorized.

The company announced that it has already signed over 80 commercial agreements, 30 of which are focused on powering data centers. 

Last Energy aims to build 10,000 such units over the next 15 years.

iulian@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Nuclearelectrica.ro)