Nuclearelectrica, the operator of Romania’s nuclear power plant Cernavoda, has signed a contract with Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Corporation (KHNP) for the construction of a tritium removal facility.
The unit will be located at the Cernavoda NPP and will be the world’s third and Europe’s first tritium removal facility, Nuclearelectrica said in a press release. Facility will allow Romania to become a European hub for the production and export of tritium, the company added.
The project’s duration is estimated at 50 months. The value of the contract is around 181.3 million euro, according to the Korean media.
KHNP has a portfolio of 25 nuclear plants, 21 hydro plants, 16 small hydro plants, 16 pumped storage plants, 55 solar plants and one wind farm.
Tritium is an isotope of hydrogen and is produced as a byproduct of heavy water reactors, such as the CANDU reactor at Cernavoda.