Interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan criticized once again, on Wednesday evening, the project of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) at Doicești, carried out in partnership with an American company, stating that the investment raises „serious feasibility issues” and that Romania risks not recovering the sums already spent.
The liberal leader stated on B1TV that over 240 million dollars have been invested so far, but the project would still require billions of euros to become a reality.
"We have land and a feasibility study"
Bolojan said that the project was designed for Romania to become "a pioneer" in the field of small modular reactors, but the results so far raise questions.
"The issue we have today is that out of a significant amount of money, which was made available by Nuclearelectrica, over 240 million dollars, we have land available, purchased at a fairly high value, we have a company with many employees who have spent quite a lot of money, and we have a feasibility study," the interim prime minister stated.
He stated that the study indicates that the project would require "several billion euros in investment," funds that Romania does not currently have.
"The energy produced would be more expensive than market price"
The interim prime minister argued that the economic analysis of the project raises serious profitability issues.
"The analysis of the selling price of the electricity produced in this possible reactor shows that it would be a price higher than the market price, which raises serious issues regarding the profitability of such a project," Bolojan stated.
He warned that Romania risks being left with only high expenses and documentation.
"You end up in a situation where you are left with a lot of money spent and some papers, and we wonder if it was worth it," the liberal leader said.
"If you respect your partners, inform them"
Bolojan rejected accusations that his criticisms would affect the relationship with the United States and argued that American partners should be informed when there are feasibility issues.
"I found it responsible that, if you respect your partners, you inform them. Just as I did with the United States Embassy. This project has some issues, it would be good to analyze it very carefully," the interim prime minister stated.
He added that the US Embassy "took note of this data," so that the project could be analyzed based on all available information.
"If it's feasible, it should be kept and moved forward. If it's not feasible, it's much fairer to say: these are the problems," Bolojan stated.
"The risk of not recovering them is very high"
The interim prime minister warned that the chances of Romania recovering the money already invested are low. "The risk of ever recovering this money decreases, meaning there is a high chance we won't recover it," he stated.
In addition, Bolojan stated that Romania risks being left without concrete benefits from the project, as the copyrights and patents "have been transferred to others."
When asked who is responsible for the current situation, the interim prime minister pointed to the leadership of Nuclearelectrica.
He argued that the company's representatives should have ensured that the project and the invested sums could produce tangible results for Romania.
Nuclearelectrica recently stated that the SMR project at Doicești remains a strategic one and defended the investments made so far, stating that small modular reactors represent "the future of energy" and that the technology is internationally supported as a solution for energy security and emissions reduction. The company specified that the project is still in the development and analysis phase.