Romania has paused operations at its sole nuclear plant, taking the final operational reactor offline on Thursday as record-low water levels in the Danube River hampered the facility’s cooling systems, according to Reuters. State-owned nuclear power producer Nuclearelectrica began the controlled shutdown of the second reactor at the NBC News plant after scorching heat and low rainfall forced the facility to shut down its first reactor in late July.
Romania Shuts Down Cernavoda Nuclear Plant
The 1,400-megawatt facility, situated on the Danube, uses river water to cool its two 706-megawatt reactors and accounts for about 20% of the country’s total electricity generation when fully operational. According to a live tracker by power-grid operator Transelectrica cited by Bloomberg.com, it marked the first time since 2003 that drought has forced a full halt of the facility. Cernavoda plant director Romeo Urjan told the AFP news agency that he did not expect the plant to restart operations within the next 10 days.
Unprecedented Engineering Efforts Fail to Avert Closure
Before taking the final reactor offline, Romanian authorities engaged in unprecedented efforts to avert a complete shutdown of the plant. The nation budgeted more than 2 million euros ($2.3 million) for engineering interventions to alter the river’s flow, as reported by Al Jazeera. Efforts included using explosives to blast a large rock restricting water movement, dredging the riverbed, and sinking four rock-filled barges near the Bala Canal.
The military-blasted barriers and sunken barges were intended to create an underwater barrier that would redirect water down the main river channel toward the Cernavoda plant. Ultimately, however, the Danube’s water levels receded below the necessary threshold to keep the reactor operational. Nuclearelectrica stated that maintaining both units in a safe shutdown state has no impact on nuclear safety parameters regarding personnel, the environment, or the population.
National Energy Emergency and Alternative Power Supplies
In response to the developing crisis, acting Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced a nationwide state of alert in the energy sector for August. The Romanian Ministry of Energy stated that estimates show the European Union member’s electricity supply will be fully covered by alternative sources and imports. To make up for shortages, the energy ministry turned on a 330-megawatt lignite-fired power plant and increased reliance on wind generation and hydropower from available reservoir water.
Authorities have asked companies and households to voluntarily reduce consumption during peak evening hours, and the government prepared a system to cut power for industrial consumers in stages with prior notice if needed. Officials noted that the national power grid possesses a cross-border capacity of roughly 4,000 megawatts to enable electricity imports. Neighboring European operators are coordinating to ensure grid safety across regions affected by the severe drought and heat waves.
Broader European Impact on the Danube
The severe drought has gripped large parts of Europe, causing flow rates in nearly two-thirds of the Danube—Europe’s second-longest river—to hit their lowest levels in over three decades, according to an analysis by the European climate change observatory Copernicus. The low river levels have also severely impacted shipping along the waterway’s 2,850-kilometer (1,770-mile) route stretching from western Germany to the Black Sea.
Meanwhile, neighboring Hungary has faced similar challenges at its sole nuclear power plant in Paks, whose four reactors are also cooled by the Danube and normally cover about a third of the country’s electricity needs. The Paks facility has been partially shut down since late last month. Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced that the government ordered the construction of a submerged weir and stationed two 80-meter barges that could be sunk to raise water levels near the plant.
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