Bucharest,

11.07.2022

Press release

The Romanian Atomic Forum, "Romatom", representing the Nuclear Industry Association in Romania, welcomes the adoption of the complementary delegated act (ADC) by which the nuclear energy is included in the scope of the EU taxonomy on sustainable financing.

The decision was adopted within the European Parliament on July 6, 2022, by rejecting the Obtification motion with an important majority of votes as well as by completing the election period at the European Council level on July 11, 2022, where most of the Member States supported ADC.It will enter into force from January 1, 2023.

ADC establishes a number of technical criteria for nuclear energy and natural gas in order to access sustainable financing in the private environment, establishing a legal framework that offers long -term stability and predictability in these strategic fields.

Romatom has supported the inclusion of nuclear energy in the EU taxonomy since its adoption in 2020, being particularly important for the nuclear industry in Romania opening new private financing opportunities for present and future nuclear projects.

In the field of nuclear energy, ADC covers three essential activities for Romania: the development of advanced nuclear technologies, the construction and operation of new nuclear power plants for the production of electric and thermal energy, including for the production of hydrogen and re -technologization in order to prolong the life of the existing nuclear power plants, based on the technical criteria that the Romanian industry is well -placed in Romania.successfully.

„The nuclear industry in Romania currently provides 12,600 jobs and has an annual contribution in GDP of 5.7 billion euros.These figures will increase in the context of starting the new projects with a strategic role in the nuclear field, already employed by Romania: the completion of units 3 and 4 from Cernavoda CNE which will double the amount of safe and clean energy produced in our country from nuclear sources, retehnologization of unity 1 which will allow the extension of the life with another 30 years, the development of another 30 years.the debtor installation.Romania also aims to be in the first line of implementing the technology of small modular reactors (SMR) in Europe, by selecting the first potential site in Doicești.The location of the production chain for SMR in Romania will lead to the creation of new jobs and the development of the horizontal industry, research, education, business environment.Also, ADC, through the possibility of attracting private financing, will allow the development of new projects such as the production of hydrogen from nuclear sources or radioactive cobalt for the medical field, projects explored by Romatom and the operator SN Nuclearelectrica SA.Hydrogen from sources with low carbon emissions, such as nuclear energy, represents a vehicle for decarbonizing the energin-intensive industry, its role being clearly recognized by the new repowereu plan recently launched by the European Commission. ” - Lucian Rusu, Romatom president.

The adoption of ADC with a clear support at the European level is all the more important in the current geopolitical context, in which the Member States have committed to reduce their dependence on Russia energy imports.Nuclear energy and natural gas, from indigenous sources and diversified external sources, will play an essential role in ensuring security in supply, energy independence coupled with achieving the decaronization objectives.Nuclear energy has the lowest greenhouse gas emissions throughout all energy sources, currently ensuring 30% of the total primary energy produced in the EU and 18% of national domestic consumption.Also, by the low dependence on external imports (the cost of raw materials being very low in the cost of production) and the low volatility of the market for raw material (uranium is exploited in both the EU and imported from third states, located in stable geopolitical areas, with a high degree of diversity of suppliers), nuclear energy can contribute to the energy for energy.

„The inclusion of nuclear energy in the EU taxonomy is a well -deserved victory, a recognition of the importance of this energy source for the EU energy and economic stability and for reaching climatic neutrality in 2050. In the context in which the European Union faces a humanitarian crisis, doubled by an energy crisis, financing in the nuclearSignal for the rebirth of the European nuclear program.The decarbonization, the EU economic relaunch after the pandemic and war and the independence of the energy imports would not be possible without increasing the intake of nuclear energy.In Romania the nuclear industry benefits from a rich experience of operating, various specializations and highly qualified workforce.The performance of the Cernavoda nuclear power plant is internationally recognized, in the top of 440 nuclear units in operation.Capitalizing on this expertise and internal energy production capabilities represent the correct direction of action. ”- Teodor Chirica, Honorary President Romatom.

Romatom wants to use this opportunity to thank the decision makers, partners and members to support the inclusion of nuclear energy in the EU taxonomy and to promote Romania's goals in this area.

We remind that ADC was prepared and published by the European Commission at the beginning of 2022, following a rigorous process of evaluating the sustainability of nuclear energy throughout the life cycle, analysis by the Joint Research Center within the European Commission and subsequently verified by two groups of technical experts (the scientific committee for health, the environment and the environmental risks.from the Euratom treaty).The study concluded that nuclear energy is equally sustainable during all stages in the production cycle (from uranium mining to decommissioning and storage of radioactive waste) as well as the other energy sources already included in the EU taxonomy by the first delegated act (renewable energy, hydropower).ADC was launched by the European Commission during the election period at the level of the European Parliament and the Council on March 10, 2022, after the initiation of the EU energy crisis as a result of the Ukraine, being presented by the Commission as a crucial element for EU energy security.

About Romatom:

Romatom was set up on January 10, 2001, currently incorporating 48 companies and associations specialized in providing services, products and works for the nuclear field and related fields.

The association aims to promote the use for peaceful nuclear energy in Romania and to support the national nuclear program, as well as the coordination of all the activities assumed by the accession and participation of the Association in Foratoma (Nuclear Europe) - the European Atomic Forum.At the same time, Romatom advocates for the protection and promotion of the interests of its members, representing the voice of the national nuclear industry, considering the technological and acquired know-how level, in order to fruiting them in practice. https://romatom.ro/