WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, U.S. Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette and Romania’s Minister of Economy, Energy and Business Development Virgil Popescu initialed a draft Intergovernmental Agreement to cooperate on the expansion and modernization of Romania’s civil nuclear power program.  

Once formally executed, this historic agreement will lay the foundation for Romania to utilize U.S. expertise and technology with a multinational team building reactor Units 3 and 4 of the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant and refurbishing reactor Unit 1. This agreement underscores the importance of the strategic partnership between the United States and Romania and our mutual commitment to energy security in the region. 

“Nuclear energy is crucial to ensuring Romania has a reliable, affordable, and emissions-free supply of electricity, and the U.S. nuclear industry looks forward to providing their expertise to advance this important energy source,” said Secretary Brouillette. “This agreement between the U.S. and Romania furthers our mutual energy cooperation and will strengthen the energy security of both our nations.”

“Today, Romania is taking a huge step forward in the development of its strategic partnership with the United States of America, in terms of the energy component, namely cooperation in the civil nuclear field,” said Minister Popescu. 

This partnership will ensure electricity security, improve economic growth, and bring the highest standards of safety to bear. Nuclear energy will continue to play a prominent role in the country’s national energy mix, providing Romania with emission-free, reliable energy to meet its growing electricity demand. 

The United States and Romania will continue to strengthen our bilateral relationship under various multilateral frameworks, including the Partnership for Transatlantic Energy Cooperation (P-TEC) created under the Trump Administration. Under P-TEC, the U.S. and Romania co-chair a working group on civil nuclear cooperation. This working group will remain a cornerstone for expanding this strategic and commercial partnership. 

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