Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant: Difference between revisions
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Options include the current CANDU 6 reactor, or an enhanced CANDU 6 reactor producing 740 MW. |
Options include the current CANDU 6 reactor, or an enhanced CANDU 6 reactor producing 740 MW. |
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==Accidents== |
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* On 30 May 2009, Unit 1 of the Romania's Cernavoda NPP was shut down following a water pipe crack. The nuclear reactor may remain shutdown for up to a week due to the seriousness of the problem. The Cernavoda NPP's second unit is currently undergoing an overhaul, and so it was not producing any electricity.<ref>[http://www.mediafax.ro/engleza/romania-s-nuclearelectrica-shuts-down-nuke-over-water-pipe-crack.html?6966;4469058 Romania’s Nuclearelectrica Shuts Down Nuke Over Water Pipe Crack], Mediafax 2009-05-30</ref> |
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* On 8 Apr 2009, the second reactor of the Romania's Cernavoda NPP was shutdown due to a malfunction which led to electrical outages.<ref>[http://www.mediafax.ro/engleza/romania-s-cernavoda-nuclear-plant-restarts-2nd-reactor.html?6966;419216 Romania's Cernavoda Nuclear Plant Restarts 2nd Reactor], Mediafax, 2009-04-09</ref> |
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* On Jan 16 2010, the first unit was shutdown due to steam leakage.<ref>http://www.adevarul.ro/financiar/Unitatea_1_a_centralei_de_la_Cernavoda_a_fost_oprita_0_190781275.html</ref> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 10:37, 4 February 2010
The Nuclear Power Plant in Cernavodă (Romanian: Centrala Nucleară de la Cernavodă) is the only nuclear power plant in Romania. It produces around 18% of the country's electricity. It uses CANDU reactor technology from AECL, using heavy water produced at Drobeta-Turnu Severin as its neutron moderator and water from the Danube for cooling.
By using nuclear power, Romania is able to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by over 10 million tonnes each year.
The power plant was designed in Canada by Atomic Energy of Canada Limited in the 1980s, during the Communist era. The initial plan was to build five units.
Units 1 and 2 are currently fully operational. Three more partially-completed CANDU reactors exist on the same site, part of a project discontinued at the close of the Nicolae Ceauşescu regime. Units 3 and 4 are in their planning stages, with expected completion dates of 2014 and 2015 respectively.
CNE-INVEST is responsible for the preservation of Units 3-5.
Reactors
Unit 1
Unit One was finished in 1996 and produces 705.6 MW of electricity.
It was commisionned and began operating at full power in 1996 and has had record capacity factors of 90 per cent since 2005. Unit 1 recently completed over 300 days without an interruption in service.
The reactor is a CANDU 6 type.
Unit 2
Unit Two achieved criticality on 6 May 2007 [1] and was connected to the national grid on 7 August. It began operating at full capacity on 12 September 2007[2], also producing 706MW.
Unit 2 was officially commissioned on Friday, October 5, 2007 during ceremonies attended by Romanian Prime Minister Călin Popescu-Tăriceanu and senior officials from Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL). [3]. This makes CNE-Cernavoda Station the largest power producer in the country.
A consortium of AECL and Ansaldo Nucleare of Italy, along with the Nuclearelectrica (SNN) SA, Romania’s nuclear public utility, were contracted in 2003 to manage the construction of the partially completed Unit 2 power plant and to commission it into service.
The reactor is a CANDU 6 type.
Future expansion
Units 3 and 4
Units 3 and 4 are expected to be CANDU 6 reactors with a similar design to Unit 2 and will each have a capacity of 740 MW. When completed, the four units combined are expected to provide up to 40 % of Romania's total electricity needs, reducing its dependence on fossil fuels for electricity generation. Units 3 and 4 are expected to be operational by 2015 and 2016 respectively. The project is estimated to take up to six years after the contracts are signed.
In a feasibility study carried out by Deloitte and Touche, the most economically viable scenario would be to build the two phases at the same time, with the cost estimated at €2.3 billion.
On 20 November 2008, Nuclearelectrica, ArcelorMittal, CEZ, GDFSuez, Enel, Iberdrola and RWE agreed to set up a joint company dedicated to the completion, commissioning and operation of Units 3 and 4. The company named Energonuclear was registered in March 2009.[4]
Unit 5
There are currently no plans to complete Unit Five [1] at this time. However, the possibility of finishing construction remains.
Options include the current CANDU 6 reactor, or an enhanced CANDU 6 reactor producing 740 MW.
See also
References
- ^ Cernavoda 2 achieves initial criticality
- ^ Hotnews.ro, Reactorul 2 de la Cernavoda a ajuns la capacitate maxima ("The second unit at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant reached at full capacity "), September 12, 2007
- ^ 2007 News Releases - Second CANDU Unit in European Union Officially In Service
- ^ "Draft agreement finalized for Romanian reactors". World Nuclear News. 2008-03-07. Retrieved 2008-03-07.