November 7, 2026

Romania’s Prime Minister, Luca Niculescu, and Minister of Energy, Dumitru Chisăliță, visited Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) on Saturday, November 7, 2026.

The official visit marks the restart of Unit 1, following its synchronization with the National Energy System on November 6, 2026, carried out under nuclear safety standards and in full compliance with the plant’s operating procedures.

Prime Minister of Romania, Luca Niculescu: “The prolonged outage of production at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant, which currently accounts for approximately 20% of Romania’s electricity consumption, has provided an important lesson, highlighting the extent to which energy security depends on the availability of reliable and stable generation capacity, as well as the critical role of nuclear energy in supporting the economy, the welfare of Romanian citizens and their quality of life. Domestic energy production provides stability, including price stability, and gives Romania greater control over its own economic future. For these reasons, the Government will firmly support projects aimed at ensuring the continued safe and reliable operation of the nuclear power plant, such as Bala II, as well as investments designed to expand the country’s electricity generation capacity through the development of Cernavodă Units 3 and 4.”

Currently, Unit 1 is operating at 50% of its nominal power.

Minister of Energy, Dumitru Chisăliță: “Nuclear energy plays an essential role in ensuring energy security and maintaining the stability of the National Energy System. Following this challenging period, we are now seeing the prospects for greater stability.

The restart of Cernavodă NPP Unit 1, followed by the restart of Unit 2 once the required conditions will be met, will make a substantial contribution to balancing the energy system and restoring consumers’ confidence in the recovery and improvement of a situation that has affected them. Energy system stability and the interests of consumers are our highest priorities, and I assure you that the Ministry of Energy addresses these responsibilities with the utmost commitment and accountability.”

Accompanied by Nuclearelectrica’s leadership team, the officials visited the Unit 1 Main Control Room and held discussions on identifying short, medium and long-term solutions to ensure the continuous operation of the plant, including in the context of Nuclearelectrica’s projects to double Romania’s nuclear capacity through the construction of Units 3 and 4.

Mihai Gioară, Chief Executive Officer, Nuclearelectrica: “The reconnection of Cernavodă NPP Unit 1 to the National Energy System, following the outage caused by adverse weather conditions, represents an important milestone for the company and for Romania’s energy sector. The unit’s return to service contributes to the country’s energy security and to the stability of the National Energy System. I would like to thank my colleagues for the professionalism and sense of responsibility, which they fulfilled their duties with, while consistently ensuring compliance with nuclear safety requirements, which remain the fundamental principles underpinning all our activities. We also thank the authorities for their support throughout this process. At the same time, this milestone provides us with an opportunity to review and assess the experience gained. Based on conclusions, we will adjust our strategic approach for the coming period and identify solutions aimed at reducing the risk of similar situations occurring in the future. We reaffirm our commitment to operating the plant safely and in full compliance with national and international standards, while ensuring the production of clean, safe and reliable electricity to Romania.”

Nuclearelectrica reaffirms its firm commitment to continuing the measures already underway and working closely with the competent authorities to develop concrete short, medium and long-term solutions aimed at enhancing plant availability and ensuring the uninterrupted operation of Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant.