Fluor Launches New Base in Bucharest

Door Simon West

Fluor has opened a new office in Romania’s capital city Bucharest, supporting its ongoing role in the country’s ambitious nuclear newbuild program.

The move reinforces Fluor’s long-term commitment to supporting Romania as it expands access to clean and reliable nuclear power, said Pierre Bechelany, Flour’s business group president of Energy Solutions.

"Romania has operated nuclear power plants for four decades and our work to support the expansion of nuclear baseload power will help it achieve its future clean energy, economic and manufacturing goals," he said.

Romania is among a growing number of European countries seeking to boost their nuclear power capacity, a shift some analysts link to the war in Ukraine and a broader push for energy independence.

Nuclear energy already accounts for about one-fifth of the country’s electricity, with some 1.4 gigawatts (GW) produced by two reactors at the Cernavodǎ nuclear power plant. Two additional reactors, currently in pre-construction phase, are expected to double capacity. A Flour-led joint venture is providing engineering, design, licensing and project management services for the development.

Flour has also carried out front-end engineering and design (FEED) work for an advanced small modular reactor (SMR) facility in Doicești. The project, developed by Romania’s RoPower Nuclear, will use NuScale’s VOYGR technology to generate up to 462 megawatts (MW) of electricity from six modules, built on the site of a former coal-fired power station.

Final investment decision (FID) for the Doicești project was announced in February.

“Bucharest offers strategic advantages for Fluor’s continued growth in the region,” Bechelany said.

“Its proximity to two major nuclear projects, an experienced nuclear regulator, combined with access to a highly skilled workforce and strong academic institutions, positions us to expand our project execution capabilities and support Romania’s long-term energy goals.”

Read more: A New Era for Nuclear