Shares in Nuclearelectrica, the company that runs Romania’s sole nuclear power plant in Cernavoda, on Friday rose by almost 2 per cent on the Bucharest Stock Exchange, BVB, following the announcement of a deal to construct new units.

The agreement inked on Thursday between Canada’s Candu Energy, a supplier of nuclear energy equipment, and China Nuclear Power Engineering Company, CNPEC, concerns two more nuclear reactors to be built in Cernavoda, on the Danube.

Two Canadian-designed nuclear units now operate in Cernavoda, which work with natural uranium and heavy water. Together they supply around 20 per cent of Romania’s electricity needs.

Construction of long-delayed units 3 and 4 at Cernavoda was postponed indefinitely in 2011 when some of the partner companies, including Germany’s RWE, France’s GDF Suez and Spain’s Iberdrola, dropped out, citing economic uncertainties.