Romania Takes Emergency Steps to Raise Danube Levels for Cernavoda Nuclear Plant Cooling

Romania’s last operating nuclear reactor was shut down on August 13 after historically low water levels in the Danube River threatened the plant’s cooling supply. The shutdown left the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant without nuclear generation, prompting the National Committee for Emergency Situations to approve a suite of emergency actions on August 22. Measures include emergency dredging of the Danube channel near the plant, construction of a groyne on the Old Danube channel to divert water toward the plant’s intake, deployment of high-capacity pumps, and a five-day release of additional water from the Olt River reservoirs.

The Straits TimesRomania Moves to Safeguard Nuclear Plant on Record Low Danube JURIST

Low water levels have affected major European rivers, disrupting traffic and forcing nuclear facilities in Romania, Bulgaria and Hungary to curtail output. In Romania, the Cernavoda reactors—each about 700 MW and together supplying roughly 20 % of the nation’s electricity—rely on Danube water for cooling. The decline in river flow follows a broader regional trend of decades-low river levels that have heightened energy-price pressures.

Romania Moves to Safeguard Nuclear Plant on Record Low Danube

Nuclearelectrica, the state-owned operator, described the August 13 shutdown of Unit 2 as a controlled action that does not pose a nuclear-safety risk. Authorities have also declared an energy emergency for August, urging households and businesses to reduce consumption during peak hours and increasing electricity production from coal, hydropower, wind, and imports.

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• Two reactors at Cernavoda: ? 700 MW each.

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• Combined output: ? 20 % of Romania’s electricity.

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• Hidroelectrica will release an additional average of 50 cubic meters per second from Olt River reservoirs for five days.

Romania Moves to Safeguard Nuclear Plant on Record Low Danube

• Emergency dredging and pump deployment are intended to maintain the water level required for cooling.

The Straits Times

The emergency dredging and water-diversion structure will continue while high-capacity pumps remain on standby. Romania’s energy ministry plans to rely on alternative generation sources and imports to offset the loss of nuclear output for the remainder of the month, while monitoring Danube levels for any further operational impacts.

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