NuScale fails to meet Romanian conditions, Doicești SMR project stalls

RoPower Nuclear SA, jointly owned by state utility Nuclearelectrica and private Nova Power&Gas, announced that NuScale has failed to meet the contractual conditions needed to advance the Doicești SMR project. The plan envisions a 462 MW nuclear plant built around six 77 MW modules, with Romania agreeing to purchase only the first module pending successful operation. Critical hurdles involve the absence of an agreed Framework Agreement to allocate risks, and unresolved issues concerning natural-gas wells and the Soceram borehole on the site.

NuScale has withdrawn from ongoing negotiations, and an independent impact assessment shows that more than 80 % of the February 2026 FID conditions remain unmet. The stalemate threatens the project's schedule and raises the risk burden for the Romanian state shareholder, Nuclearelectrica.