Nuclearelectrica announces the appointment of Bogdan Deaconu as Technical Director of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant, effective December 1, 2026.
Deaconu has 13 years of experience in the nuclear industry, most of it gained at the Cernavoda plant, and has also spent two years working at the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO), an organisation that promotes operational excellence and safety standards in the nuclear industry.
His appointment comes as the plant seeks to maintain its operational performance in line with international nuclear industry standards.
“Over the years, Cernavoda NPP has proven that it deserves its place among the world’s top-performing nuclear power plants. This is the standard we measure ourselves against,” Deaconu said.
He said his international experience had provided insights into how nuclear plants could improve their performance, highlighting equipment reliability, early identification of problems, efficient processes and staff accountability as key factors.
“The team at Cernavoda NPP has the expertise and commitment needed to reaffirm its technical performance. My role is to devise the framework in which the team’s strengths can be transformed into visible and sustainable results,” he added.
Between 2019 and 2024, Bogdan Deaconu served as the lead coordinator of the Unit 1 Life Extension Program – from inception and development through implementation. Thanks to the successful completion of this program – one of the plant’s most important projects – Unit 1 at the Cernavodă NPP continues to operate until it undergoes Refurbishment.
Throughout his career, he has trained and led cross-functional and multinational teams. Some of the completed projects – such as the inspection and resolution of deficiencies in the reactor’s internal components – involved hundreds of contractors and in-house employees, with tight execution schedules and responsible risk management – a solid foundation for future projects as well.
Bogdan Deaconu began his career in 2013 as a Process Engineer at RATEN–CITON, with responsibilities for design and analysis of the Cernavodă NPP systems.
In 2016, he joined the nuclear powerplant’s team, where he coordinated programs for critical reactor components – fuel channels, feeder pipes, and the calandria vessel – and later, as a Specialist Engineer, he led inspection and condition assessment programs for critical components in both the nuclear and conventional areas.
Between 2021 and 2024, he led the Passive Components Service, with responsibilities including the development of aging control and condition management plans for critical components, and ensuring interdepartmental coordination for support programs.
Between 2024 and 2026, Bogdan Deaconu worked at the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations (INPO) as a Senior Equipment Reliability Evaluator and Continuum Contact. His responsibilities included the identification of early warning flags indicating performance decline at partner power plants – both at the equipment level and within engineering organizations – and supporting technical executive teams in their recovery endeavors.
His work was not limited to a single technology, but focused on improving the performance of the entire U.S. nuclear power plant fleet and INPO-affiliated international plants in Canada, Argentina, Mexico and South Africa. In addition, he contributed to the development and implementation of a resilience initiative, in the context of natural threats to INPO-affiliated international plants.
His responsibilities strengthened his expertise in the efficient operation of a nuclear power plant, both from a technical and an organizational perspective. This experience deepened his understanding of what operational excellence entails and how a strong organizational culture leads to sustainable results.
Since 2026, Bogdan Deaconu has served as an Expert at Nuclearelectrica, coordinating the development of projects related to aging management, life extension, and operational support.