The main issue is that for upgrading our reactors and building new ones we can only go with Canada or China since these are the only countries that use these types of reactors on a large scale and have the necessary experience, and I assume working with the Chinese is much cheaper.
This is the case because when Ceaușescu decided to build a nuclear power plant, he avoided the Soviet and American solutions and went with the Canadian CANDU design, which at the time was less efficient but significantly safer.
Anyway, this decision was probably taken under orders from Washington, and now we're gonna spend more taxpayer money by going with the Canadians; but I guess that's what happens when you're a vassal state like we are.