RoPower Nuclear, the company developing Romania’s first small modular reactor (SMR) power plant at Doicesti, has become the first and only Romanian entity to join the American Nuclear Society (ANS), an organisation that for 72 years has promoted innovation, science and nuclear technologies, the company announced in a release.

“We are delighted to welcome RoPower to the American Nuclear Society as a member of our organisation. By joining a global community of more than 12,000 nuclear professionals and 120 partner organisations, RoPower will contribute to expanding the nuclear workforce and to deepening public understanding and appreciation of nuclear science and technology,” ANS Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director Craig Piercy is quoted as saying.

ANS members include major companies in the nuclear sector, such as NuScale Power – the developer of the technology used for the Doicesti SMR project – as well as European nuclear leaders like Framatome.

“The RoPower Nuclear team is now part of a highly reputable group in the nuclear field. It is an honour for us to be the first and indeed the only company in Romania to join the American Nuclear Society, a robust group of professionals synonymous with the development and promotion of nuclear technologies over the past 70 years. Our membership is based on a compatibility of values but also gives us access to this centre of expertise and international support for nuclear energy in general and SMR technology in particular,” said RoPower Nuclear Technical and Operations Director Dan Serbanescu, who has been affiliated with the society’s international expert group supporting nuclear energy development since 2010.

RoPower Nuclear is the project company responsible for developing Romania’s first SMR power plant at Doicesti, in Dâmbovita County. Established in 2022, it is jointly owned in equal shares by Nuclearelectrica S.A., the national nuclear energy company, and Nova Power & Gas, part of the E-Infra group.

The Doicesti SMR project involves building a modular power plant with an installed capacity of 462 MWe on the site of the former coal-fired power plant. The facility will use NuScale Power technology, consisting of six small modular reactors, each with an installed capacity of 77 MW.

The energy produced at Doicesti will support Romania’s green transition while ensuring stability for the National Energy System, combining zero CO2 emissions with reliable baseload generation, independent of weather conditions or time of day.