What failed in the USA is supposed to work in Romania: a US company there wants to build six mini-power plants. The Romanian government has high hopes for this. You can also hear other voices on site.
The construction site where mini-nuclear power plants are to be built is located on the edge of the 4,000-inhabitant village of Doicesti, 90 kilometers north of Bucharest. There used to be a coal-fired power station here, but it was demolished a year and a half ago. The US ambassador to Bucharest, Kathkeen Kavalec, also attended a press event in March. The American company NuScale supplies the technology for the small modular nuclear reactors.
Romanian Energy Minister Sebastian Burduja appeared extremely proud in front of the press, calling it a “historic” day. “For many years, Romania has gotten used to chasing other countries’ developments. Now it’s time for us to shape the future of the world. And the future of energy is that.”
Export and save the climate
The first modular nuclear reactors (SMR) in Europe are to be built in Doicesti; six are planned. They are so small that they can be manufactured in a factory and delivered to the assembly site. The aim of the Romanian government is to be a pioneer in this area in order to eventually sell the know-how to other countries in Europe.
And Romania should become a pioneer in the fight against climate change, if the energy minister has his way: “It’s safe energy. It’s energy at a fair price and it’s clean energy.”
Controversial: Security
Many experts say that the SMRs are significantly safer than conventional large power plants, meaning that evacuation zones are no longer necessary in the event of a nuclear accident. Nevertheless, there is criticism.
Mihnea Matache from Greenpeace Bucharest considers the project to be risky and dangerous, especially since there is no practical experience in ongoing operations: “We have a community here, and the poor people are worried because a nuclear power plant will appear over their garden fence sometime overnight. The construction site is only about 200 meters from the village center.”
Uncertainty in Doicesti
There is indeed a lot of uncertainty in the village. Nobody wants to say their name here for fear of getting in trouble with the local authorities. A woman points to a fence and says she lives right next to the construction site. She is worried about her two children: “I think they will be in danger.”
And one man emphasizes that “everyone here in the village is afraid.” The village has been suffering from environmental pollution for many years – and now a nuclear power plant should be built. His conclusion: “They are conducting experiments on us like guinea pigs.”
Hope for prosperity
The deputy mayor of Doicesti, Alin Ismail, sees it differently and believes the fear is unjustified. He recalls the resistance that existed 70 years ago when a coal-fired power plant was built – that created jobs and gave the community “the largest budget of all the villages here.” Since the power plant stopped operating, the village has lost a lot of income.
Ismail dreams that one day one of his children will work in mini-nuclear plants. They should be ready for operation by the end of 2029 – according to the plan. At Greenpeace Bucharest there are doubts that this will work. Previous projects, including in the USA, have already failed – due to miscalculations in costs and scheduling. One of these projects was to be built in the US state of Idaho. It was developed by NuScale.
Oliver Soos, ARD Vienna, tagesschau, March 21, 2024 9:20 a.m