Montreal: December 19, 2024 – Candu Energy Inc., an AtkinsRéalis company [AtkinsRéalis Group Inc.] (TSX: ATRL), in a Consortium with Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power (KHNP), Ansaldo Nucleare, and the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC), has been awarded a contract by Societatea Nationala Nuclearelectrica S.A. (SNN) to provide design, engineering, procurement, as well as project & construction management services to complete a reactor re-tube project and life-extend the Unit 1 CANDU® reactor at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant in Romania. AtkinsRéalis’ portion of the contract is valued at $937 million and is expected to close in February 2025 subject to CCC obtaining approval from the Government of Canada and SNN obtaining shareholder approval. With this award, the cumulative contract value to AtkinsRéalis for its work on Cernavoda Unit 1 stands at almost $1.9 billion.
“Following Romania’s strategic decision to double output at the Cernavoda plant with the build of two additional new CANDU units and with the life-extension of the Unit 1 CANDU reactor, the role of Canadian Nuclear technology has cemented its link to the long-term operation of Romania’s power grid,” commented Ian L. Edwards, President and Chief Executive Officer, AtkinsRéalis. “Four CANDU reactors at the Cernavoda site will enable Romania to phase out coal from their grid and unlock the country’s potential to become a regional hub for energy security and clean electricity in Eastern Europe. As the stewards of Canadian-owned CANDU technology, we are immensely proud to be playing a role in powering Romania well into the end of the 21st century.”
AtkinsRéalis’ Nuclear sector will undertake nuclear steam plant modifications engineering and procurement, retube tooling maintenance, and the balance of retube engineering and procurement not already contracted under the engineering, technology and procurement contract signed with SNN in 2023.1 The retubing of fuel channels and component replacement (including of pressure tubes, calandria tubes and feeders) of a CANDU reactor allows for the doubling of its lifespan, granting Unit 1 at Cernavoda safe operation for another 30 years. Similar work has already been performed by AtkinsRéalis at CANDU reactor plants such as Wolsong Unit 1 in South Korea, Embalse in Argentina, and in Canada at Point Lepreau, Darlington and Bruce Power.
AtkinsRéalis has 250 experts already working on the Cernavoda 1 Retube and Refurbishment Program. That number is expected to reach 340 by mid-2025, with its personnel deployed on site to oversee work starting in 2026. Project completion is scheduled for 2030.
“The goal for Cernavodă NPP Unit 1 refurbishment is to ensure the operation of the unit for another life cycle in conditions of safety and economic efficiency. In order to achieve this objective, all the preparation and implementation activities of U1 Refurbishment Project are carried out according to standards of excellence and the international experience gained from the refurbishment of the other CANDU nuclear units worldwide. This is a key project which will extend U1’s operational life by 30 years to support Romania’s decarbonization goals by avoiding an additional 5 million tons of CO2 emissions annually. We are keen to working with internationally renowned partners which have historically contributed to the current operational performance of Cernavoda Units 1 and 2,” said Cosmin Ghiță, Chief Executive Officer, Nuclearelectrica.
CANDU Technology in Romania: A Canadian Success Story
The Cernavoda site houses Romania’s only nuclear power station. Providing about 20% of the country’s power2, it currently consists of two CANDU 6 reactors (Units 1 and 2), with plans for two more.3 Each reactor produces around 720 MW of clean power, 24/7 for the grid. The Unit 2 CANDU reactor at Cernavoda holds the world record for highest capacity factor (composed of reliability and up-time) of any nuclear reactor globally.4 Romania has avoided the release of over 215 million tons of CO2 since the two units came online in 1996 and 2007, respectively.5 The unique ability of CANDU reactors to utilize unenriched uranium offers an additional layer of energy security for Romania, via bypassing foreign fuel enrichment which often occurs in Russia.
“CCC is proud to work with AtkinsRéalis to help Romania succeed in its transition to reliable, climate-resilient green energy.” said Bobby Kwon, President and CEO of CCC. “This project will support the 89,000 Canadian jobs in CANDU’s supply chain and strengthen Canada’s global leadership in nuclear energy.”
CANDU technology also co-produces medical grade life-saving isotopes to sterilize medical equipment worldwide, and for use in detecting and fighting cancer. CANDU reactors in Canada produce 50% of the world’s supply of the Cobalt-60 isotope.6 Romania plans to supply the global market with isotope production from their CANDU reactors at Cernavoda in the future, via a collaboration with a subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation.7
“We see opportunities for 19 CANDU reactor life extensions over the next 10 years,” said Joe St. Julian, President, Nuclear, AtkinsRéalis. “It’s a $15 billion addressable market and forms a core part of our plan to deliver between $1.8 billion to $2 billion of annual revenue in our Nuclear sector by 2027.8 The last seven CANDU reactors built around the world, and the ongoing life extension of 10 CANDU reactors in Ontario, have been conducted on time and on budget. As the only organization that has taken a leading role in every CANDU reactor life extension project to date globally, our unmatched track record of executing on schedule, cost, safety, and quality performance, along with the expertise of our top-tier, proven consortium partners, will deliver this project for Romania at and above their expectations.”
