US Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm presented several cooperation projects with Romania as she spoke at the 5th Transatlantic Partnership Forum for Energy and Climate Cooperation, which opened in Bucharest.
„In the spirit of transatlantic cooperation, I am pleased to announce several important stages of our energy partnership with Romania”, Agerpress agency Agerpress quoted the minister as saying. "Fluor and Sargent & Lundy has reached an agreement in principle with Nuclearelectrica from Romania on the modernization and development of the Cerna Voda nuclear power plant, Granholm said.
„On Wednesday, we opened the next stage of engineering research within the US-Romanian project for a small modular reactor. American company NuScale Power and Nuclearelectrica of Romania have agreed to collaborate to implement NuScale technology in a decommissioned Romanian coal-fired power plant. This carbon-free energy source will contribute to the phasing out of coal-fired power plants in Romania and position the country as a potential hub for the distribution chain of small modular reactors.“
Granholm mentioned the memorandum signed by the American company Sage Geosystems and the Romanian ELCEN, “which will explore the potential of replacing fossil fuel thermal power plants with a clean and reliable alternative source of [geothermal] energy".
Forum participants discuss the safety of critical infrastructure in the energy sector, the use of nuclear energy and support for the reconstruction of Ukraine's energy sector. The Transatlantic Partnership for Energy and Climate Cooperation is an initiative coordinated by the US Department of Energy. It aims to strengthen energy security and climate resilience by increasing efficiency, introducing renewable energy sources and developing technologies to reduce carbon emissions.