Nuclearelectrica announces the completion of the first continuous concrete pour for the permanent structures of the Cernavoda NPP Unit 1 Refurbishment Project, representing the most complex operation of this type carried out at the plant site since the construction of Unit 2. Approximately 3,470 cubic meters of concrete was used for the foundation, equivalent to about 380 concrete mixer trucks.
The concrete pouring work took place at the Intermediate Radioactive Waste Storage Facility (DIDR-U5), involving the pouring of its foundation, DIDR-U5 being the facility designed and built for the handling, processing, and interim storage of waste resulting from the refurbishment of Unit 1 and the long-term commercial operation of Units 1 and 2 at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant.
“In September 2025, Nuclearelectrica obtained from the Commission for the Control of Nuclear Activities (CNCAN) the construction permit for the Interim Radioactive Waste Repository; this marked the moment when, in accordance with the work schedule, civil construction work began on the infrastructure necessary for the implementation of the Cernavodă NPP Unit 1 Refurbishment Project. The pouring of the first concrete for the construction of the infrastructure required for the refurbishment of Unit 1 holds a significance similar to that of the pouring of the first concrete during the construction of Unit 1. After 30 years of operation at high nuclear safety standards and with world-class performance in terms of capacity factor, Unit 1, through the refurbishment program, will continue to operate for another 30 years starting in 2030. Another 30 years of energy security, 5 million MW produced annually, and 5 million tons of CO2 avoided annually—a strategic project for Romania’s energy security.”—Cosmin Ghita, General Manager of Nuclearelectrica.
Designed and planned to be developed in three major phases, the Cernavodă NPP Unit 1 Refurbishment Project is currently in its second phase of development—preparation for implementation—with a completion date toward the end of 2027, when the project will enter its third and final phase of development—the shutdown of Unit 1 for refurbishment.
Unit 1 of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant will be reconnected to the National Power Grid in 2030 for a new 30-year operating cycle.
Unit 1 of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant was commissioned in 1996, and to date, the operation of Unit 1 has prevented 145 million tons of CO2 from being released into the atmosphere and has safely delivered over 149 million MWh, with a capacity factor exceeding 90%, ranking it among the top three nuclear reactors globally in terms of capacity factor.