Nuclearelectrica appoints Bogdan Deaconu as technical director at Cernavodă after Unit 1 was shut down following a malfunction

Nuclearelectrica has appointed Bogdan Deaconu as technical director of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant, effective December 1, 2026. The decision comes after Unit 1 was shut down again, just three days after being reconnected to the national power grid, following a malfunction in the non-nuclear section.

The current technical director has been removed from the position but will remain employed by the company, according to Nuclearelectrica CEO Mihai Gioară. He said there is an internal report on the incident and pointed to issues related to compliance with maintenance plans for critical equipment.

The plant’s technical division will be coordinated by Bogdan Deaconu, a professional with 13 years of experience in the nuclear industry. From 2019 to 2024, he coordinated the Unit 1 lifetime extension program, while from 2024 to 2026 he worked at the Institute of Nuclear Power Operations, where he assessed equipment reliability and the performance of engineering organizations.

Currently, only Unit 2 is generating power, at nearly 700 MW. Unit 1 is scheduled to be reconnected on Friday and reach maximum capacity on Saturday. Nuclearelectrica says the new appointment is intended to strengthen equipment performance, maintenance and the prevention culture.