| WNN latest: Commercial operation for Cernavoda 2 | | Print | |
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Romania's second nuclear power reactor has entered commercial operation as owner Nuclearelectrica prepares to examine tenders for the completion of two more. Cernavoda 2 is a 700 MWe pressurized heavy-water reactor of the AECL Candu 6 design. It was completed by a consortium of AECL and Ansaldo under a contract signed in 2003. A ceremony held to mark official start of its service on 5 October was attended by prime minister Calin Popescu-Tariceanu and the Canadian and Italian ambassadors, Marta Moszczenska and Daniele Mancini. Popescu-Tariceanu said Cernavoda was "a key element of our Romanian power system which is a safe and reliable one and would be able to supply competitive electricity." The first reactor at the plant has now been operating for 11 years, providing 9% of the country's electricity. It has recently completed a record run of 300 days uninterrupted operation and boasts annual capacity factors usually above 85%. In the first four months of 2007 Cernavoda 1 achieved 101.6% of its design output. Now, with two such units, the Cernavoda plant will account for around 17% of Romanian electricity. It makes state-owned Nuclearelectrica the largest power producer in Romania. It is thought that Cernavoda units 3 and 4 could enter operation in 2014 and 2015. |
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