What an SMR is and how it differs from conventional nuclear
A Small Modular Reactor (SMR) is a nuclear reactor with a net electrical output of no more than 300 MWe per unit. A conventional PWR reactor (such as the two units at Cernavodă) delivers around 700 MWe each. The difference in size fundamentally changes the logic of construction and financing: SMRs are designed for serial factory fabrication and modular delivery to site, unlike conventional reactors built as one-off units on site over 8-15 years.
The RoPower project: technical configuration and status
The Romanian SMR project is developed by RoPower Nuclear SA — a joint venture between Nuclearelectrica and Nova Power & Gas — and provides for the installation of six NuScale VOYGR-77 modules at Doicești, Dâmbovița County, on the site of the former thermal power plant. Each module has a net output of 77 MWe, yielding a total capacity of 462 MWe and a total cost estimated at around 7 billion dollars.
The Extraordinary General Meeting of Nuclearelectrica convened for 15 July 2026 had on its agenda the update of the SMR implementation strategy. The Final Investment Decision (FID) was announced in February 2026. The project has completed the FEED 1 phase, benefited from a 14-million-dollar American grant and mobilised around 240 million dollars, including 156 million dollars contracted with Fluor Corporation for the FEED 2 phase.
Technical advantages: what renewables cannot do
The central argument for SMRs in the context of a mix with a high share of renewables is availability: a nuclear reactor operates at a capacity factor of around 85-92%, independent of weather conditions. A photovoltaic park of equal installed capacity has a capacity factor of 15-20% in Romania — which means that 462 MWe of nuclear delivers 4-5 times more energy annually than 462 MWp of solar. Nuclear solves the baseload generation problem that intermittent sources, without massive storage, cannot systematically cover.
The real risks and the NuScale Utah precedent
In 2023, the Carbon Free Power Project (Utah, USA) was cancelled after estimated costs per MWh rose from around 58 USD to over 89 USD. The precedent is relevant but not directly transferable: the Doicești site has existing electrical infrastructure, available land and a specialised workforce, while the financing structure includes American government support that was absent in the Utah case. Certainty over the cost per MWh of SMR nuclear energy remains an open variable globally.