Laurentis Energy Partners and S.N. Nuclearelectricia S.A spearhead international collaboration to advance the production of medical isotopes in Romania

Paris, France — Laurentis Energy Partners (LEP), a subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation (OPG), will collaborate with Romania’s nuclear energy utility, S.N. Nuclearelectricia S.A (SNN), on the production of life-saving medical isotopes at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) and to explore the possibility of heavy water production in Romania.

The announcement follows Canada’s Natural Resources and Energy Minister, Jonathan Wilkinson's, announcement of $3 billion in export financing for Romania’s Cernavoda NPP to support clean energy security.

The agreement was formalized today, with OPG’s President and CEO, Ken Hartwick, and SNN’s CEO, Cosmin Ghita, signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in the presence of Romania’s Minister of Energy, Sebastian Burduja.

The MOU enables SNN and LEP to work together on opportunities in a number of areas, including isotope production at SNN’s Canada Deuterium Uranium (CANDU) reactor units.

Laurentis and its parent company, OPG, are recognized world leaders in nuclear isotopes, produced through CANDU reactors at the Darlington and Pickering nuclear generating stations. Isotopes play an enormous role in medicine, cancer treatment, medical imaging, medical device sterilization, new drug development, neutron research, border security, food preservation, and much more.

Quick Facts:

• SNN owns and operates two CANDU reactor units at the Cernavoda NPP, with plans to develop additional reactor units in the future.
• Laurentis has an established presence in Romania, opening its first office in Bucharest in 2020. There, Laurentis operates through its subsidiary Canadian Nuclear Partners S.A. (CNPSA) and has been active in Cernavoda Unit 1’s refurbishment.
• Because of the unique design of CANDU reactors, medical isotopes can be produced without interrupting the generation of clean energy.
• The partnership also includes opportunities for Romania and Canada to work together on producing and supplying heavy water, which CANDU reactors use as a moderator and coolant. Heavy water can also be used in a growing number of non-nuclear applications including pharmaceuticals, medical diagnostics, and next-generation electronics like fibre optics and OLED screens.
• A growing suite of isotopes are currently being produced at OPG’s Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, including Molybdenum-99, Helium-3, Heavy Water, and Tritium, with plans underway to produce Cobalt-60 – currently also extracted from reactors at the Pickering station.

Quotes:

“Laurentis is committed to leveraging our proven refurbishment and isotope production expertise to advance healthcare solutions and expand market opportunities in Romania,” said Jason Van Wart, President and CEO of Laurentis Energy Partners. “We are proud of our partnership with SNN and look forward to our cooperation in the pursuit of sustainable and impactful global energy solutions.”

“SNN is proud to partner with Laurentis, a world leader in nuclear isotopes, and thus directly contribute to the healthcare industry by expanding our project portfolio through isotope production. The nuclear industry is currently essential to generating clean energy and producing medical isotopes given the recent evolutions of the medical isotope market, and we are looking forward to this partnership with Laurentis as a way to advance much-needed global solutions for the health sector.” - Cosmin Ghita, Chief Executive Officer, Nuclearelectrica

Sebastian Burduja, Romanian Minister of Energy: “From the initial visit to Canada, we traced the next steps. We are proud that Romania is proving not only top performance in safe operations of our CANDU reactors at Cernavoda but also leadership and strategic vision by exploring the production of medical isotopes and heavy water in partnership with Canada, directly contributing to public health. This is a significant step toward helping to improve the health of millions of people around the world and demonstrates the multiple benefits of nuclear power plants: besides being a source of clean energy, contributing to energy stability and economic growth, they are able to contribute to cancer treatment. Equally important is the project to restart heavy water production in Romania, an initiative that started in the mandate of the former minister, Virgil Popescu. The demand for heavy water is growing and Romania can be a strategic player. Romania and Canada’s collaboration can be an example to other countries about the important role of nuclear energy. These are innovative projects that Nuclearelectrica has the chance to develop. This partnership comes immediately after the announcement of funding from the Government of Canada for Units 3 and 4. The Romanian Canadian partnership is one with a long tradition and we have the obligation to develop it together in the future.”

About Laurentis Energy Partners
Laurentis Energy Partners, a subsidiary of Ontario Power Generation, delivers cutting-edge and reliable nuclear energy solutions for clients globally. With a commitment to excellence and innovation, Laurentis offers expertise in inspections, refurbishment and engineering, nuclear materials sorting and recycling, the production of nuclear isotopes, and the advancement of small modular reactors. Laurentis has offices in the Greater Toronto Area, Hamilton and Bruce County in Ontario, Saint John in New Brunswick, Regina in Saskatchewan, and Bucharest and Cernavoda in Romania. Follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn @laurentisenergy or at www.laurentisenergy.com

About S.N. Nuclearelectricia S.A.
The National Company “Nuclearelectrica” SA (SNN) is the national Romanian company that produces electricity, heat, and nuclear fuel, operating under the authority of the Romanian Ministry of Energy. SNN operates two CANDU nuclear units at their Cernavoda NPP, which are two of the highest-performing units in the world. Cernavoda has a nuclear fuel factory (Pitesti Nuclear Fuel Factory) as well as an integrated fuel cycle through its uranium concentrate processing line (Feldioara Uranium Concentrate Processing Factory), which was recently acquired to support the long-term investment projects of SNN.

Nuclearelectrica has a major role at the national level, contributing more than 18% of Romania’s electricity and 33% in the total CO2-free energy production in Romania. Learn more: www.nuclearelectrica.ro