Cernavodă’s Unit 1 to be shut down for two years

Cernavodă’s Unit 1 will be shut down as of 2026 for upgrading works that will last two years. The revamping works will though extend the reactor’s service life for another 30 years.

„As of 2026, Cernavodă’s Unit 1 will halt for the works. Until then, we are making all necessary preparations. We’ll conduct a feasibility study that will end in 2021 and after that we’ll proceed with buying the necessary equipment, as it must be ordered 3-4-5 years in advance,” said Romeo Urjan, the head of the Technical Service at Nuclearelectrica.

He said the feasibility study will tell the precise value of the investment, but according to estimates, it mounts around EUR 1.2-1.5 billion.

„After the retrofitting, Unit 1 will serve for another 30 years. Thus, we’ll have a reactor as good as new, as against the costs of a new reactor that would be double or even triple,” he added.

Two CANDU 6 type reactors are working at Cernavodă, with a total power of 1,400 MW, providing around 20% of the national electricity production.

Reactor 1 became operational in 1996, and Unit 2 in 2007.

First debates about the investment of the Unit 1 upgrade came up in April this year.