Controversy or Consensus: Launching Small Modular Nuclear Reactors in Romania

The transition towards net zero by 2050 is underway in the European Union, but its country members are divided over their energy strategies. France, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, Slovakia, and Romania support nuclear plants as contributing to carbon neutrality, while Germany, Spain, Denmark, Portugal, and Luxembourg oppose (Reuters, 2023).

The study “Between Stability and Sustainability: Nuclear Energy in Romania's Energy Mix” concludes that Romania can benefit from its nuclear facilities and domestic uranium resources, to consolidate its sustainable energy policy. However, new nuclear capacities may pose considerable challenges, especially in terms of costs (Dumitrescu, 2023).

Unfortunately, rising costs per megawatt hour are the very reason why NuScale, the operator chosen by Romania to deploy six small nuclear reactors by 2027, canceled their US-based flagship Carbon Free Power Project (Fortune, 2023). Nevertheless, the setback in the home country did not prevent Romanian authorities from licensing the NuScale small modular reactor power plant in Doicești (World Nuclear News, 2023).

The watchdog Greenpeace warned about the project’s high costs and the long construction timeframe. It was also emphasized that Romania adopted a technology that had never been tested before. In addition, the location of the new plant had been decided without prior consultation from the local community, claimed the NGO (Greenpeace, 2022). According to the journalists, the local community has been divided between those who want new jobs and people afraid of radiations. Reporters made a parallel between the current situation and a formerly failed Chevron shale gas production investment, due to the strong opposition to fracking (Hotnews, 2024).

This paper attempts to determine how a newcomer to the nuclear energy market, with a significant approval setback in its home country, using untested technology, can complete the construction of six small modular reactors in Romania, integrate those into the national grid and win over the public acceptance by 2030.