Romanian – French Nuclear Days
The Romanian – French Nuclear Days took place in Bucharest on November 22-23, 2022, bringing together representatives from both countries’ nuclear industries, authorities and research institutes. The event was organized by the Romanian Atomic Forum (ROMATOM), the French Nuclear Industry Association (GIFEN) and Nuclear Valley, with the support of the French Embassy in Romania and the Romanian Ministry of Energy.
TAKT Recruitment team, a leading provider of Asian workforce recruitment, outsourcing and consultancy services for various industries, was invited to participate in this event as a potential partner for both French and Romanian companies. We had the chance to meet with representatives from major nuclear players such as EDF, Framatome, Orano, CEA, Nuclearelectrica, Romatom and many others. We also attended presentations and round tables on topics such as nuclear safety, decommissioning, waste management, new projects and innovations.
The main objective of the event was to strengthen the bilateral cooperation between Romania and France in the field of nuclear energy, especially in light of Romania’s plans to expand its nuclear capacity by building two more reactors at Cernavoda and refurbishing its existing ones.
Romania is one of the few countries in Europe that has a significant share of nuclear energy in its electricity mix, reaching about 20%. It operates two CANDU-6 reactors at Cernavoda, which have been operating since 1996 and 2007 respectively. Romania is also a member of Euratom and participates in several international research projects on nuclear fusion and advanced reactors.
France is a world leader in nuclear energy, with 56 reactors producing about 70% of its electricity. It has a strong expertise in all aspects of the nuclear fuel cycle, from mining to reprocessing. France is also a key player in developing new generation reactors such as EPR and SMR. France supports Romania’s ambitions to develop its nuclear sector as part of its energy transition strategy.
The Romanian – French Nuclear Days were an opportunity for both sides to exchange best practices, identify potential areas of collaboration and showcase their products and services. Among the highlights of the event were:
– The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between ROMATOM and GIFEN to enhance their cooperation on various topics related to nuclear energy.
– The presentation of several projects involving Romanian and French companies or institutions, such as:
– The refurbishment project for Unit 1 at Cernavoda by SNN (the Romanian national nuclear company) and Orano (a French multinational group specialized in nuclear power).
– The feasibility study for Units 3 and 4 at Cernavoda by SNN and EDF (the French state-owned electricity company).
– The development of a small modular reactor (SMR) prototype by CNRS (the French National Centre for Scientific Research) and RATEN ICN (the Romanian Institute for Nuclear Research).
– The participation of IFIN-HH (the Horia Hulubei National Institute for Physics and Nuclear Engineering) in ITER (the international experimental fusion reactor project).
– The organization of B2B meetings between Romanian and French companies interested in developing partnerships or joint ventures.
The Romanian – French Nuclear Days were a success both from a technical and a diplomatic point of view. They demonstrated that Romania and France share a common vision on the role of nuclear energy as a clean, reliable and competitive source of electricity that can contribute to achieving climate goals. They also confirmed that there are many opportunities for cooperation between both countries’ nuclear industries that can benefit from their complementary strengths.
