Romania Begins Controlled Shutdown of Cernavoda Unit 2 Amid Danube Drought

Romania shuts nuclear plant as Danube drops

The plant is not expected to restart for at least 10 days, while Romania plans to rely on alternative power sources and imports.

Record-low Danube forces Romania to shut its only nuclear plant

Romania shut down its only nuclear plant Thursday, in a rare move due to drought that has caused the Danube river, whose waters cool the plant, to fall to record lows. Much of Eur...

The Danube is running dry, and taking Central Europe’s power supply with it

From nuclear power in Romania and Hungary to hydropower in Serbia, the region depends on the major European river to meet its energy needs.

Europe's Rivers Run Dry, Forcing Nuclear Shutdowns and Exposing Energy Vulnerabilities

Romania began disconnecting its sole operating nuclear reactor from the grid this week. The Danube River simply lacked enough water to cool it. State-owned utility Nuclearelectrica initiated the process on August 13 as levels hit record lows. The move capped weeks of frantic engineering efforts along one of Europe’s longest waterways. Operators at the Cernavoda plant had dredged channels. They sank rock-filled barges. On August 3 the Romanian na…

Danube hits record 31cm low as drought idles central European reactors

The Danube has dropped to a record low of 31 cm in Budapest, idling nuclear reactors in Romania and Hungary as a fierce drought parches central Europe.