Romania wants to build a second nuclear power station after the Cernavoda plant in the southeast of the country, to ensure its future independence in energy supply, Prime Minister Calin Tariceanu said on Friday.
"It's evident that we need to (construct a new power station) so as not to be dependent on resources like gas and oil which are running out," Tariceanu said at the official inauguration of Phase II of Cernavoda.
Tariceanu had asked the economy ministry to find a site for the new power plant, the minister said.
Phase II of Cernavoda, which like the Phase I was built by a consortium comprising EACL of Canada and Ansaldo of Italy, began supplying electricity in August following three months of tests.
When it is fully operational, Cernavoda will supply around 17-18 percent of Romania's electricity needs.
Romania launched a tender for the construction of the third and fourth reactors at Cernavoda, which should be operational by 2014-2015.
Around 30 companies are interested in taking part in a project, including construction group Lafarge of France, power company Enel of Italy, as well as German utilities E.ON and RWE.
Other interested companies include Ansaldo and EACL, as well as Czech utility CEZ, steel group ArcelorMittal, and French banks BNP Paribas and Societe Generale.
