Radio România Internațional

Tag: Candu

  • Romania and nuclear energy

    Romania and nuclear energy

    The Romanian Chamber of Deputies adopted, as a decision-making body, the draft law on the approval of the signing of the Support Agreement between the Romanian state and the Nuclearelectrica National Company for the project of Units 3 and 4 at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant (southeast). Nuclearelectrica has a major role at the national level, contributing over 18% to the total energy production and 33% to the total CO2-free energy production in Romania. It uses the Canadian CANDU 6 technology, based on natural uranium as a fuel and heavy water with a moderator and cooling role. The purpose of the agreement adopted by the Romanian deputies is to establish the effective methods of cooperation between the parties, by establishing commitments and obligations of the Romanian state regarding the provision of the necessary measures to finance the project, the implementation and adoption of support measures, including legislative measures.



    According to the data published on the Nuclearelectrica website, the project of the CANDU Units 3 and 4 CNE Cernavodă is included in the Energy Strategy Project of Romania 2019-2030 to be accomplished by 2050. It is also mentioned in the National Integrated Plan in the field of Energy and Climate Change, as a pillar of Romanias energy independence and of the fulfillment of the CO2 reduction targets assumed by Romania as a member state of the European Union. The adoption of this law was hailed by the energy minister Virgil Popescu. He emphasized that Unit 3 will come into operation at the end of 2030, and Unit 4 in 2031. Through the implementation of this law, Romanias energy independence and security will be ensured, Virgil Popescu pointed out. Through the implementation of the project, the contribution of nuclear energy to the total energy production, at the national level, will be 36%, and the contribution of nuclear energy to the total CO2-free energy production will be 66%. Consequently, the internal supply chain and other collateral industries will develop.



    “Nuclear energy, which is efficient, safe and clean, will make Romania an example at the regional and global levels, through various support partnerships associated with major investment projects”, the general director of Nuclearelectrica, Cosmin Ghiță highlighted. The intention of the Romanian state and of the Nuclearelectrica National Company, in accordance with the new strategy, is to implement this project within a Euro-Atlantic consortium based on the Agreement between the Government of Romania and that of the United States regarding cooperation in relation to the nuclear-power projects from Cernavodă and in the civil nuclear power sector in Romania, initialed in October 2020 in Washington DC. It’s worth mentioning that the US is interested in financing the Romanian energy projects, including nuclear power projects with 7 billion dollars. (LS)

  • September 17, 2020

    September 17, 2020

    Covid-19
    RO.     1,679 new cases of people infected
    with SARS-CoV-2 were registered in Romania, compared to the last report, following
    the tests performed at national level – the Strategic Communication Group
    announced this afternoon. The total number of infections has thus reached
    108,690. Also today, another 27 people infected with the new coronavirus have died,
    the total number of deaths in Romania reaching 4,312. 460 patients are in
    intensive care, the Group has also reported. In Romania, 11,540 people
    confirmed with the new coronavirus are in isolation at home, and 5,807 are in
    institutional isolation. Also, 38,167 people are in quarantine at home, and 7
    in institutionalized quarantine.




    Pandemic.
    30 million infections and 945,000
    deaths have been reported worldwide, according to worldomters.info. The United
    States is the hardest hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, with more than 6,800,000
    infections and more than 200,000 deaths. In the United Kingdom, the European
    country with the highest number of deaths, over 41,000, the health system can
    no longer cope with the demand for tests, and the government has announced that
    it will rationalize them for the time being. Spain has exceeded 600,000 cases
    and 30,000 deaths. As of Friday, Israel becomes the first country in the world
    to apply the lockdown measure for the second time, due to the very large number
    of new cases of COVID-19.






    Elections. In
    Romania, the electoral campaign for the local elections due on September 27 continues,
    in conditions meant to prevent infections with the new coronavirus. According
    to the Ministry of Interior, wearing a protective mask is mandatory, and for
    all persons participating in electoral events or meetings, observational triage
    and mandatory hand disinfection will be performed. The rules of access and
    personal protection will be displayed in visible places. A physical distance of
    at least one meter between participants will be ensured, including for actions
    carried out on the street or from door to door. A maximum of 50 people will
    attend the events and meetings held indoors, and the duration will be limited
    to a maximum of two hours. In the case of events and meetings held outdoors,
    the organizers must ensure that the number of participants is limited to a
    maximum of one hundred. 41 county council presidents, about 3,200 mayors, over
    1,300 county councilors and 40,000 local councilors will be elected. Election
    had been scheduled for June, but was postponed due to the pandemic, and local
    elected officials have extended their terms by half a year.








    EP. The
    European Parliament has endorsed the need to introduce new sources of revenue
    into the EU budget, a crucial step in authorizing Brussels to borrow from the
    markets and to implement the € 750 billion recovery plan decided by the EU. The
    EP’s advisory but necessary vote paves the way for a European Council decision
    and will allow ratification to begin in the 27 EU states, a process involving,
    depending on the country, a vote of national and/or regional parliaments. The
    aim of the Europeans is to complete this process of national ratifications by
    the end of the year, so that it enters into force, as scheduled, in January
    2021.




    Economy. The
    recovery of the world economy following the crisis caused by the coronavirus
    pandemic could take five years, the chief economist of the World Bank (WB),
    Carmen Reinhart has warned. She says that because of the crisis, inequalities
    between the poor and the rich, as well as those between states, will be
    exacerbated. For the first time in 20 years, global poverty rates will rise,
    the chief economist added. In 2015, the year of the latest World Bank data,
    about 734 million people worldwide lived in extreme poverty, accounting for 10%
    of the world’s population, and their numbers have continued to rise since the
    pandemic broke out.




    Agreement. The Romanian
    Government has concluded an agreement with a Chinese company for the
    construction of Units 3 and 4 of the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant, in
    southeastern Romania, the Minister of Ecoomy, Energy and Business Environement,
    Virgil Popescu, has announced. He has stated that parteners are now being
    sought for the project in the EU and NATO countries. The nuclear power plant in
    Cernavoda is the only one of its kind in Romania. Units 1 and 2 are currently operational,
    and together they produce about 20% of the country’s electricity consumption,
    using the Canadian technology known as CANDU.




    Contest. 13 young pianists out of the 55 contestants
    who participated in the first stage of the Piano Section of the George Enescu
    International Contest, the most prestigious cultural event organized by
    Romania, have qualified for the second stage. The 13 are from China, South
    Korea, Hong Kong, Great Britain, Poland, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Serbia. The
    first stage of the competition, the Piano Section, took place online between
    September 11-15. The second stage, eliminatory, will take place between
    September 17-19. The recordings will be available online on the website of the
    Contest www.festivalenescu.ro starting September 17, from 10.00 (Romanian
    time). It is for the first time in the history of the Enescu Contest when the
    first two stages of the sections are organized online, against the background
    of the pandemic. Access to all online content of the Contest during this period
    is free.




    Football. The holder of the Romanian Football Cup, FCSB,
    meets, tonight, away from home, FK TSC
    Backa Topola, from Serbia, in the second preliminary round of Europa League. If
    they qualify, the Bucharest team will
    receive, in the third round, the visit of the winning team between Riteriai
    (Lithuania) and Liberec (Czech Republic). Also today, FC Botoşani (northeast of
    Romania) plays, at home, with KF Shkendija, from Northern Macedonia, and, if it
    wins, it will meet, also on home turf, most likely, the English team Tottenham
    Hotspur, the big favorite in the duel with the Bulgarians from Lokomotiv
    Plovdiv. Eliminated from the Champions League preliminaries, the Romanian
    champion, CFR Cluj (northwest), will play, this month, directly in the third
    round, with the winner between Djurgaarden (Sweden) and FC Europa (Gibraltar).






    Tennis. Romanian tennis player Irina Begu, (77 WTA) is playing,
    today, in the second round of the WTA tournament in Rome, against the British
    Johanna Konta (13 WTA). Also today, in the doubles, the Romanians Simona Halep
    and Monica Niculescu will play, in the eighth finals, with the Japanese Shuko
    Aoyama and Ena Shibahara. On Wednesday, the Romanian Simona Halep, world number
    2, qualified for the eighth finals of the tournament in Rome, where she is first
    seed, winning with the score of 6-3, 6-4, the match against the Italian Jasmine
    Paolini. In the doubles, the pair formed by the Romanian Raluca Olaru and
    Anna-Lena Friedsam (Germany), qualified, on Wednesday, for the quarterfinals of
    the tournament in Rome, after defeating with 6-4, 6-3, the team Miyu Kato (
    Japan) and Sabrina Santamari (USA). The tournament in Rome is part of the
    Premier 5 category and takes place without spectators, and the players must
    follow strict rules to prevent infection with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The prizes
    are worth a total of almost 1.7 million euros. ( M. Ignatescu)



  • 100 years since the Union of Bessarabia and Romania

    100 years since the Union of Bessarabia and Romania

    On March 27, 1918, towards the end of the Great War and amidst the collapse of the Russian Empire, the Parliament of Bessarabia voted for the union of this province with the Kingdom of Romania. It was the first document attesting the formation of a Romanian unitary nation state, a process which would end later that year with Bukovina (northeast), Transylvania (center), Banat, Maramures and Crisana (west) also joining Greater Romania.



    Far from being euphoric, the ceremonies devoted to this event were rather nostalgic. The union was short-lived. 22 years later, in the summer of 1940, following an ultimatum, Stalin’s Russia annexed both Bessarabia and northern Bukovina, the present-day territories of the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine. Hundreds of thousands of Bessarabians took refuge in the smaller Romania, and other tens of thousands were deported to Siberia or Kazakhstan, being replaced with colonists brought over from all the corners of the former empire.



    The decision adopted by the Country Council in Chisinau is a political and patriotic gesture which does credit to the elites of the time and to all those who worked hard to make this dream come true”, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis said in a message. The Romanian president added that the union of March 1918 also represents a permanent source of inspiration in the attempt to develop and deepen the Strategic Partnership between Romania and the Republic of Moldova.



    In a solemn declaration passed on Tuesday in Parliament’s plenary session, MPs in Bucharest also reiterated the unity of the Romanian people and language, the role of the political forbearers and the path present-day politicians need to follow, as well as a common willingness to continue Moldova’s modernization and efforts to join the European Union.



    In his address, Chamber of Deputies Speaker, Liviu Dragnea, argued in favour of the re-unification. We are two separate states but a single country, because Bessarabia is Romania, Liberal MP Victor Paul Dobre said in turn. Prime Minister Viorica Dancila has said special attention is being given to bilateral relations and joint projects.



    Attending the session in Bucharest, Moldovan Parliament Speaker Andrian Candu highlighted the privileged character of bilateral relations, grounded on common history, culture and civilization and called for boosting economic cooperation between the two states. HRH Princess Margareta, Custodian of the Royal Crown of Romania and niece to King Ferdinand 1, the only ruler of Greater Romania, in turn reiterated the support of Romania’s Royal House for Moldova’s ambitions to join the EU.

  • September 28, 2017 UPDATE

    September 28, 2017 UPDATE

    PRESIDENCY– The President of Romania, Klaus Iohannis, Thursday received the Speaker of the Parliament of Moldova, Andrian Candu, in Bucharest. The agenda of the meeting included topics like bilateral cooperation, with a focus on projects in the energy sector, the Republic of Moldovas relations with the EU and recent developments in that ex-Soviet state. Among other things, President Iohannis reiterated Romanias unconditional support for strengthening Moldovas ties with the European Union. In turn, the Speaker of the Parliament in Chisinau thanked Romania for its support.




    JUSTICE – The Higher Council of Magistrates in Bucharest Thursday issued a negative opinion on the bill amending the laws on the judiciary. The document was criticised by magistrates and European Commission experts. In turn, the US Ambassador to Bucharest Hans Klemm said the US was worried that Justice Minister Tudorel Toaders proposals to reform the judicial system might reverse the progress made by Romania so far as a model in terms of fighting corruption. On August 30, the Justice Ministry posted a bill designed to bring changes to the laws regulating the justice system. The provisions that sparked criticism included the bypassing of the countrys president in the appointment of prosecutor office chiefs and the subordination of the judicial inspection corps to the Justice Ministry. The official opinion of the Higher Council of Magistrates is non-binding.




    NATURAL GAS – The European Commissioner for Energy and Climate Change, Miguel Arias Cañete, said on Thursday in Bucharest that the BRUA project, a planned natural gas pipeline in which Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Austria are taking part, is important for the European Commission. According to the EU official, the Commission gave Romania a loan of nearly 180 million euros for the first stage of the project. In turn, the Romanian Minister for Energy, Toma Petcu, said BRUA would be finalised in all the 4 member States involved, under a memorandum of agreement signed in Bucharest on Thursday. Petcu also said works would begin next spring. The statements were made during a meeting of the Central and South Eastern Europe Gas Connectivity group.




    EPPO – The European Parliaments Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs Thursday approved the setting up of a European Public Prosecutors Office, to investigate cross-border corruption and tax evasion. Under certain conditions, the EPPO will have the power to investigate, prosecute and bring to justice those who commit offences against the EU budget, such as fraud against structural funds or VAT fraud. The institution will be based in Luxemburg, and will start working 3 years after the European Parliament resolution in this respect comes into force. So far 18 member states, including Romania, have joined this enhanced cooperation structure.


    (translated by: Ana-Maria Popescu)

  • Le nucléaire civil en Roumanie

    Le nucléaire civil en Roumanie

    Actuellement, à Cernavodà fonctionnent les unités 1 et 2 de la centrale nucléaire utilisant la technologie nucléaire canadienne CANDU, les unités 3 et 4 seront achevées vers 2019 respectivement 2020. tandis que l’unité 5 est en conservation. La puissance nominale installée des unités 1 et 2 est de 706,5 MW, chacune des deux unités de Cernavodà assurant actuellement quelques 20% de la consommation d’énergie de la Roumanie.



    Le directeur général du Département pour l’Energie du gouvernement roumain , Elena Popescu, détaille : “Pour la Roumanie, l’énergie nucléaire est partie importante du mix énergétique. Elle représente aujourd’hui 20% de l’énergie utilisée en Roumanie et dans le contexte des nouvelles politiques en matière d’énergie et de climat préconisées pour 2030, l’énergie nucléaire acquiert une dimension encore plus claire pour notre pays comme pour d’autres Etats. Dans le paquet énergie-climat 2030, paquet législatif discuté à l’échelon européen, on établit une cible de diminution des émissions de gaz à effet de serre de 40% en 2030 vis-à-vis du niveau de 1990. Pour que la Roumanie remplisse cet objectif, l’énergie nucléaire acquiert un rôle d’autant plus important car nous disposons de capacités thérmoénergétiques qui couvrent même plus de 40% de l’énergie produite en Roumanie mais qui ne sauraient plus s’encadrer entre les limites admises d’émissions de gaz à effet de serre. Elles devraient être remplacées en grande mesure, d’autres seront modernisées et, du moins au niveau du Département pour l’Energie, nous envisageons de développer de nouvelles capacités aux technologies propres mais, même avec ces nouvelles capacités, nous avons besoin de l’énergie nucléaire , en principal des unités 3 et 4 de Cernavodà pour atteindre cet objectif, ce niveau de 40% de réduction des émissions de gaz à effet de serre. »



    Remarquons que , depuis peu, la Compagnie CHINA NUCLEAR POWER CORPORATION a présenté une offre engageante pour réaliser les réacteurs 3 et 4 de la centrale de Cernavodà et la commission gouvernementale devrant analyser et entamer les négociations qui pourraient être achevées avant la fin de l’année courante , comme annonçait le vice-premier ministre Liviu Dragnea qui précisait que, à la suite des discussions avec le vice-premier ministre chinois Zhang Gaoli qui était en visite à Bucarest, probablement, on va entamer la constructions des deux réacteurs l’année prochaine. Liviu Dragnea a expliqué que ce projet d’une très grande valeur va générer plus d’un milliard et demi d’euros, des commandes pour l’industrie roumaine, plus de 10 milliers d’emplois et des revenus supplémentaires au budget de l’Etat.



    Au sein de l’Union Européenne, certains Etats ont annoncé renoncer à produire de l’énergie nucléaire et mettre l’accent sur l’énergie regénérable tandis que d’autres continueront dans le domaine nucléaire de sorte que l’on pourrait parler d’une certaine compétition entre la production d’énergie de sources régénérables et celle nucléaire. Elena Popescu, directeur général du Département pour l’Energie, revient : “Ces deux sources d’énergie sont estimées comme étant en compétition. Ce n’est pas mon approche car elles ont, chacune, sa place dans le système et se complètent mutuellement. L’énergie nucléaire fonctionne selon la ligne de charge, elle est stable , ce qui induit la stabilité et la sécurité du système. Les énergies régénérables sont nouvelles, novatrices, très poussées en avant par l’Union Européenne mais sont des sources intermittentes d’énergie qui ont besoin des capacités de réserve pour fournir en cas de vent qui tombe ou que le ciel est couvert. J’estime que la Roumanie doit développer un mix diversifié où toutes les sources d’énergie aient leur place. Nos analyses estiment en priorité d’assurer la sécurité énergétique, la hausse de l’indépendance énergétique et utiliser de manière efficace les sources indigènes. En ce sens nous sommes pour un mix énergétique diversifié, énergies régénérables, énergie hydraulique, thermo-énergie et énergie nucléaire. »



    NUCLEAROELECTRICA, unique opérateur de la centrale de Cernavodà, a estimé pour l’année courante un profit net de seulement 6,2 millions d’euros, 16,3 fois moindre qu’en 2013. La compagnie s’attend cette année à des revenus de 407,6 millions d’euros , 20,8% moindres par rapport à 2013. NUCLEAROELECTRICA précise que l’estimation budgétaire a été faite dans des conditions d’austérité vis-à-vis de l’année précédente et des besoins réels pour maintenir à long terme les performances d’opération et de sécurité nucléaire, le tout ayant des dimensions selon de l’évolution négative anticipée des revenus en 2014 par rapport à l’année antérieure.