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Soon a major infrastructure project could be born in Romania: a road and a railway line connecting the port of Constanța with the port of Gdansk in Poland. It is a project that would be carried out with the US side, a “great investment”, as the US ambassador in Bucharest, Adrian Zuckerman, declared on Friday.
“We will start a new project for Romania, together with Poland, for the construction of a road and a railway, which will link Constanța, from the Black Sea, with Gdansk, from the Baltic Sea. This infrastructure project will be a great benefit for the economies of Romania and Poland, but also for the economies of the region, many years from now, “said Adrian Zuckerman, on Friday, in Washington, in his speech on the occasion of the signing of the Intergovernmental Agreement between Romania and the United States, which took place at the Department of Energy.
“Romania, along with Poland, is an essential ally in defending the eastern flank of Europe against Russian aggression,” said Ambassador Zuckerman.
The Minister of Economy, Virgil Popescu, was in Washington and signed the Intergovernmental Agreement on behalf of Romania.
He confirmed to Digi24 the existence of this huge infrastructure project with Poland and says that The Romanian side also insisted on the construction of adequate infrastructure in the port of Constanța, which is necessary, so that the goods entering the port of Constanța can leave and reach Europe very quickly.
US financing for the Cernavoda power plant
The Americans will participate for the moment in the construction of reactors 3 and 4 of Cernavoda and in the remodeling of unit 1. Is an eight billion dollar project coordinated by one of the largest construction companies in the United States. Companies from our country will also participate, but also from France and Canada. The intergovernmental agreement that starts this project was signed in Washington by the Minister of the Economy, Virgil Popescu, and his American counterpart, Dan Brouillette.
“On June 12, the agreement with the Chinese company in Cernavoda was terminated and everyone asked what we were going to implement. I asked him to be patient and today I signed the intergovernmental agreement with the United States for cooperation in the civil nuclear field for the remodeling of Unit 1 and the construction of reactors 3 and 4. The agreement also includes a university collaboration in the field nuclear, including collaboration on new nuclear technology. small modular reactors that the Americans are developing, but talking mainly about Reactors 3 and 4 we are talking about CANDU 6 technology, so what Romania has in Unit 1 and Unit 2 at the moment, “he explained Friday night, at Digi24, the economy minister, Virgil Popescu.
“In addition to this governmental agreement, where the US side has agreed to contribute financially to the realization of these units 3 and 4, we have signed a Memorandum between Romania and the Import-Export Bank of the United States that provides financing of up to $ 7 billion for energy projects – and here we are talking about nuclear power, we are talking about natural gas – and infrastructure projects. So basically, the United States came up with this intergovernmental agreement and a Financing Memorandum of up to $ 7 billion. , the largest financing package that the US bank is currently offering to a state based on projects that will obviously be analyzed separately “Virgil Popescu said.
Also today I had another meeting with the US investment fund USDFC (The United States International Development Finance Corporation), which for several months received the approval of Congress to be able to get involved in nuclear projects and from there we have very good news. well, as the US side has agreed to in the Intergovernmental Agreement, there is also the will to finance Unit 3 and 4 of Cernavoda ”, the Minister of Economy also said.
Romania could become an energy exporter again
The intergovernmental agreement signed by Romania with the US will be notified on Monday to the European Commission, which must issue its opinion within 30 days. Minister Popescu does not see any problem in this regard and says that immediately afterwards the realization of the financial model and the consortium will begin.
The Americans also want Canadian and French partners in the consortium, the minister said. “Together, the four states will be able to build Reactors 3 and 4 and renovate Reactor 1. The completion of the project (construction of new reactors – no) will be in 2030, and the renovation of Reactor 1 will be earlier, in 2027 it will be completed. ..) The extension of the operating period of Reactor 1 is absolutely essential, while Reactors 3 and 4 would practically guarantee our energy independence ”, explained the minister.
No new electricity capacities have been built in Romania and we are currently importing electricity. The construction of reactors 3 and 4 would contribute another 1,400 MW to the system, which together with the construction of new gas-based power production units will once again make Romania a net exporter and guarantee its own energy consumption. electricity, which would obviously lead to a decrease in prices – said Virgil Popescu.
