Author: Eugen Muravschi
“Moldova will build a modular nuclear reactor“, “Moldova enters the nuclear era with a modular reactor“, “Moldova intends to build a modular nuclear reactor” – this is how some local websites presented a post by the Minister of Energy following his visit to the USA.
The optimism of these headlines is exaggerated, and Moldova will not build any kind of nuclear reactor in the near future. On the other hand, the authorities’ interest in this technology is real and enshrined in the Energy Strategy for 2050.
Inevitably, pro-Russian propaganda has also reacted. For example, KP headlined: “Moldova has set its sights on nuclear reactors: No money, no specialists, in a seismic zone — it’s easier to teach a goat to play the accordion”. The article was immediately picked up by the communists, while some socialists seemed undecided whether they wanted to criticize the idea as an unrealistic lie or as a real threat that we would become an experimental testing ground for Americans. These accusations are just as far from the truth as the more “optimistic” headlines.
For clarity, we will explain what the authorities actually said, what these modular reactors are, why this scenario is not realistic at present, and under what conditions it could become a real option.
The Minister Did Not Announce the Construction of a Reactor
First of all, it must be made clear that Energy Minister Dorin Junghietu did not write that Moldova would build such a reactor, nor even that such a possibility was being discussed.
Here is what the Minister actually wrote during his visit to Washington: “I also had a meeting with representatives of the Nuclear Energy Institute, the discussions focusing on the perspectives of nuclear energy in the region and the opportunity to develop small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) projects. The institute’s representatives expressed their readiness to contribute expertise to developing the Republic of Moldova’s technical capacities in this field“.
Going from nuclear energy perspectives in the region and developing Moldova’s technical capacities to “we will build a reactor” is quite a leap. Moldova currently has neither the financial resources nor the technical expertise—which is not acquired overnight—for such projects.
The story of small modular reactors in Moldova is not new: as far back as 2014, there were utopian headlines like “Moldova could have four small nuclear reactors and a liquefied gas terminal“. Even ignoring such sci-fi titles, there is a real interest from the authorities in nuclear energy: it offers a permanent source of clean electricity that does not depend on weather conditions like renewable sources. Unlike traditional nuclear energy, small reactors, in theory, appear to be a potentially accessible technology even for the Republic of Moldova. They were included as a future option in the concept of the Energy Strategy for 2050.