Romania Begins Controlled Shutdown of Cernavoda Unit 2 Amid Danube Drought
Nuclearelectrica said the plant’s two reactors can remain safe as the Danube falls to record lows and Romania’s electricity supply stays covered by imports.
- On Thursday, Romania began a controlled shutdown of the second reactor at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant after the Danube River's water levels significantly decreased due to severe drought conditions.
- Scorching heat and low rainfall in recent weeks forced the facility, which provides about 20% of the country's electricity generation, to shut its first reactor in late July.
- Authorities unsuccessfully attempted to redirect water using sunken barges near the Bala Canal last week, though Nuclearelectrica stated maintaining a safe shutdown state has "no impact on nuclear safety parameters."
- The Romanian Ministry of Energy said Wednesday that the European Union member's electricity supply would be "fully covered by alternative sources and imports" following Unit 2's shutdown.
- Meanwhile, Hungarian authorities are planning steps to raise Danube levels this week to ensure their Paks nuclear power plant can continue operating amid the region's severe drought.
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Because the Danube has too little water, Romania has to shut down its only nuclear power plant completely. This is one fifth of the country's electricity production. Silke Hahne reports how the people in Romania deal with the energy crisis.
Romania shuts down Cernavodă nuclear plant as Danube water level drops
Nearly two-thirds of the Danube has seen flow rates that are the lowest on record for a month of July in 34 years, according to an analysis published on Monday by the European climate change observatory, Copernicus.
Romanian company Nuclearelectrica shut down the second and last reactor of the Cernavodă nuclear power plant on Thursday due to persistent drought. The local station Digi24 reports that it will most likely not be operational again for at least the next ten days.
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