Baku, September 20, AZERTAC

Canada has signed a deal with Romania for C$3 billion in export financing to help it build two more Canadian CANDU nuclear reactors, Natural Resources Minister Jonathan Wilkinson said on Tuesday.

According to Reuters, state-owned Nuclearelectrica currently has two 706-megawatt CANDU reactors at Cernavoda, which were completed in 1996 and 2007 respectively.

Wilkinson in a statement said the new reactors would drive down emissions while helping Romania phase out coal power by 2032.

He also said it would help Romania become a regional hub for secure energy in the face of what he called Russian energy intimidation in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine.

Romania in June said it would likely sign contracts to build two nuclear reactors by September, with the aim of bringing the units online in 2030 and 2031.

The Black Sea country is planning to boost nuclear power to 36% of its energy mix by 2031 from around 20% currently.