Romania, a regional nuclear energy hub?
Romania has negotiated USD 3.5 billion in financing for strategic projects in the production and transportation of energy and natural gas.
Daniela Budu, 20.04.2026, 14:00
Romania may become the largest nuclear energy hub in the region in the coming years, in the context of major investments in production and infrastructure in this sector, the relevant minister Bogdan Ivan said after his visit to the United States of America the other day.
He explained that the main energy goal should be to increase production capacities, concurrently with reducing the reliance on imports. After talks with officials of international financial institutions and high-ranking US officials, Bogdan Ivan announced that he had negotiated for Romania investments in nuclear and hydro energy, as well as in the natural gas development sector, totalling USD 3.5 billion.
Investments include up to USD 3 billion for upgrading the Cernavodă Unit 1, while talks also touched on financing Units 3 and 4, which the minister says would mean approximately 19,000 jobs and account for 33% of the national nuclear energy output.
In parallel, direct support was secured for natural gas projects in the Black Sea and for strengthening Romania’s role in the region thanks to projects worth almost USD 500 million.
Bogdan Ivan: “Following the top-level meetings I had in the United States of America, with the head of the World Bank, with the chairman of the US Exim Bank, with the US Secretary of Energy, we put together things that are extremely important for Romania, namely an agreement that will secure World Bank financing for nuclear energy production in our country, at Cernavodă. Romania will be the first country in the world to finance nuclear energy at very low interests, I mean interest rates that are between 1 and 1.5%, compared to 6-7%, the rate at which Romania borrows today. We make sure that in the next 30 years we will produce electricity at a cost that does not exceed EUR 100 per megawatt, which gives us credibility and therefore improves the country’s economic development capability.
Back in Bucharest, Bogdan Ivan announced that his ministry already has a long-term strategy to increase energy production, so it has drafted legislation to encourage investments in the sector. Under the draft order, investments above EUR 300 million in the energy sector will be labelled as national interest and will benefit from advantages including speeding up the issuance of all permits and direct support from the government, the minister promised. (AMP)
