Dentons advises EnergoNuclear on EPCM deal for Cernavodă project

Dentons advised EnergoNuclear on an engineering, procurement, and construction management (EPCM) contract for the advancement of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant Units in Romania.

Valued at an estimated EUR 3.2 billion, the EPCM contract has been structured to cover two phases spanning over 108 months in total, the global law firm pointed out.

EnergoNuclear, a fully owned subsidiary of Nuclearelectrica, signed the EPCM contract with the FCSA joint venture. It consists of Fluor, Fluor Energy Transition Inc. Wilmington Bucharest Branch, Candu Energy, Ansaldo Nucleare, S&L Engineers and Sargent & Lundy Energie.

The contract was signed during the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference COP 29, held in Baku, Azerbaijan. Nuclearelectrica is a state-owned utility operating the existing two units at Cernavodă. The nuclear power plant is in southeastern Romania.

Team from seven countries assisted Cernavodă project firm

Units 3 and 4, based on Candu technology, will provide Romania with energy security and clean energy in a safe and sustainable manner, Dentons added. Once they are connected to the grid, nuclear energy will generate 66% of the country’s clean energy, reinforcing its essential role in the decarbonization process, according to the plan.

A cross-border, multi-competency Dentons team from Romania, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, Hungary and Belgium provided legal support to EnergoNuclear over the course of the two-and-a-half-year project, according to the announcement.

Dentons advised EnergoNuclear on highly complex infrastructure, public procurement, and competition law issues

The team advised on highly complex infrastructure, public procurement and competition law issues and supported the client in structuring, negotiating and drafting the EPCM agreement, the firm said.

Partners Claudiu Munteanu-Jipescu (Bucharest), Mark Macaulay (Glasgow) and Ian McGrath (Amsterdam) led the team, while senior counsel Oana Voda (Bucharest) provided procurement assistance. The wider team included partner Peter Braun (Frankfurt), associates Elspeth Nuttall and Alec Cameron (both Edinburgh), senior associate Bartosz Dobkowski (Warsaw), counsel Başak Küçük (Amsterdam), partner Yves Botteman (Brussels), partner Raul Mihu (Bucharest), partner Istvan Réczicza and counsel Ted Boone (both Budapest). Additionally, Dominique Ristori and Gregoire Poisson from DGA Group provided public affairs advisory services.

Two new reactors to have global importance

“We are honored to have assisted EnergoNuclear with this landmark investment in Romania’s energy security. This project not only strengthens Romania’s energy strategic infrastructure but also underscores its commitment to sustainable energy development. Its significance extends beyond continental boundaries, marking it as a venture of truly global importance,” Claudiu Munteanu-Jipescu commented,

Dentons operates in more than 80 countries, helping organizations to grow as well as in the financing sphere. The firm said it provides “uniquely global and deeply local legal solutions.”