Bucharest, May 21/Agerpres/ - Acting Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan informed the American partner that the Doicesti small modular reactor project faces several issues, but the possibility of halting the program 'has never been raised', government spokesperson Ioana Dogioiu said on Thursday.

She noted that the project is also under review by the American side, following a March 17 meeting between Prime Minister Bolojan and U.S. Ambassador in Bucharest Darryl Nirenberg.

'Stopping this project has never been put forward. Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan did not announce in any way - neither in discussions with the ambassador nor publicly - that the project was halted. He informed the American partner that there were a series of issues, which he has also mentioned publicly in recent days, and that an analysis of the project is necessary. To quote him: 'If it is a feasible project, it must be kept and moved forward. If it is not feasible, it is more correct to say: these are the issues. This is how partners respect each other',' Dogioiu said at a press briefing at Victoria Palace.

The spokesperson stressed that 'there is no intention nor any action whatsoever' that could endanger the Romanian-American strategic partnership, adding that such a partnership is built on 'loyalty, truth' and the exchange of information.

Dogioiu said deficiencies had been identified 'not in intention, but in the implementation of the SMR program', and that Bolojan raised these concerns during his first meeting with Ambassador Nirenberg in March. According to her, the problems include the fact that only a feasibility study has been completed so far - a document that highlights 'risks' and 'major issues' regarding the project's viability.

'There is a problem with the solvency of the American partner, NuScale, which is well known in the United States. There is also a problem with the land where the project would be built, which is located near a plot containing a gas pocket - debatable in size, but it exists, and we are talking about nuclear reactors,' she added.

On Wednesday, acting Prime Minister Bolojan said the Doicesti reactor project, developed in partnership with a U.S. company, faces serious problems and that responsibility for the 'loss-making' management of the investment lies with the leadership of Nuclearelectrica, which should have ensured that the project and the funds allocated produced results and that contracts were properly managed.

'In recent years, a project was conceived through which Romania would become a pioneer in SMR technology, in partnership with a U.S. company. The problem today is that, from a significant amount of money made available by Nuclearelectrica - over 240 million dollars - we have a plot of land purchased at a fairly high price, a company with many employees who have spent a lot of money, and a feasibility study. All this cost huge sums, while the study shows that turning the project into reality would require several billion euros in investment, which we do not have. And the projected electricity price would be higher than the market price, raising serious questions about the project's profitability,' Bolojan told broadcaster B1 TV.

Social Democrat Chairman Sorin Grindeanu said on Thursday that, through his statements on the Doicesti project, acting Prime Minister Bolojan 'is trying to blow up Romania's strategic partnership with the United States'.

'What the dismissed Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan is doing now - a prime minister who has lost political legitimacy - is to call into question Romania's strategic partnerships and strategic projects, while weakening companies that are themselves strategic for the Romanian state. Regarding the Doicesti project, we are talking about a strategic project for Romania, an important component of our strategic partnership with the United States,' Grindeanu said.

He insisted that the Doicesti project, as part of that partnership, 'must continue'. 'At this point, Mr. Bolojan is doing more than undermining a strategic project - he is trying to undermine Romania's strategic partnership with the United States,' the PSD leader said. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Irinela Visan; EN - writing by: Simona Klodnischi)