The National Uranium Company, Bucharest, an important link in the chain of nuclear power development in Romania

Full text: The main goal of the National Uranium Company, CNU, is prospecting, exploiting, preparation of radioactive ore and refining the uranium technical concentrate. CNU is the sole domestic producer of the raw materials for fabrication of the CANDU type nuclear fuel necessary to Cernavoda NPP. Based on the Government's strategy concerning the nuclear power, within the policy of providing the fuel from domestic sources for the Units 1 and 2 of Cernavoda NPP, obtained from the conceded uranium deposits, on the basis of present status of extraction and preparation technology, CNU worked out its own strategy on different scenarios regarding the finalization of Units 2 and 3 of the NPP. Also feasibility studies concerning the upgrading of technological fluxes in the R and E type plants were completed. A study of feasibility concerning a new unit of production to be built in eastern Carpathian mountain was finished and is to be approved. The refurbished plant E will become operational in 2007 and plant R in 2009, while the full capacity of the new ore deposit is expected to be reached in 2009. Having in view the 'Informative Program for ensuring the nuclear fuel required by operation of Cernavoda NPP with 3 units' one can conclude that for the period 2005-2014 the fuel demand of the station can be fulfilled integrally from domestic production, for the year 2015 it can be covered up to 70%, while, between 2016 and 2026 the demand can be satisfied up to 28%. All these projections imply that the program of investment will be fully realised