Examples from Member State Inspection Programmes: Romania. Appendix I

Romanian National Commission for Nuclear Activities Control: Cernavoda is the only nuclear power plant in Romania, with five units, pressurized heavy water reactors (PHWRs) of the CANDU 6 design (700 MW/unit). The construction of all the units started in the 1980s. Unit 1 started commercial operation in 1996 and Unit 2 was commissioned and started commercial operation in 2007. The construction of the other three units on the site was stopped at different stages, and these units are currently under preservation. It is expected that in the next two years the construction of Units 3 and 4 will be restarted. The licensing basis documents for Units 3 and 4 have already been submitted to the National Commission for Nuclear Activities Control (Comisia Nationala pentru Controlul Activitatilor Nucleare, CNCAN) for approval, as part of the prelicensing activities, and the inspection of existing structures and buildings has already started, based on a contract between EnergoNuclear (the company in charge of the project for completion of Units 3 and 4) and Atomic Energy of Canada Limited (AECL) - the designer and vendor of CANDU 6 reactors. There are currently no plans for resuming construction of Unit 5. The Elements of Energy Strategy for 2011-2035 includes plans for a new nuclear power plant to be constructed at a new site, delivering 1000-1600 MW, beginning in 2021. With regard to the research reactors' status, Romania has one TRIGA research reactor in operation, located near Pitesti, recently refurbished and recommissioned in 2010, and a VVR-S research reactor, located near Bucharest, under the first stage of decommissioning. Based on the recent construction and commissioning experience and considering the future challenges, the CNCAN is ready to use the experience feedback in the regulatory oversight of the construction activities for Units 3 and 4 of Cernavoda nuclear power plant and of the activities to be performed for the selection and preparation of a new nuclear power plant site