It was decided to shut down Romania's only nuclear power plant due to the low water level of the Danube

 Romania's only nuclear power plant may be shut down completely on the morning of August 13 due to the inability to operate the plant safely under low-water conditions.

According to Digi24, the operator, Nuclearelectrica, announced on Tuesday that the controlled shutdown of the second power unit at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant is expected to begin on the morning of August 13—provided that current forecasts regarding the water situation on the Danube remain unchanged. 

If this scenario plays out, a separate announcement will be made regarding the start of the unit’s shutdown. 

The Romanian Ministry of Energy announced that Nuclearelectrica has already begun technical preparations. 

To compensate for the share of generation provided by the Cernavoda NPP (about 20%), a plan of measures has been prepared that will be implemented in stages, depending on the situation. These include, among other things, consumption restrictions for large industrial enterprises between 7:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.—a measure referred to as a “last-resort measure.”

No restrictions are planned for households, but citizens have once again been urged to use electricity sparingly, especially during peak evening hours. 

Recently, Romania was able to locally raise the water level in the Danube, which cools the country’s only nuclear power plant, “Cernavodă.” On August 9, a 4-centimeter rise in the water level near the nuclear power plant was recorded over a 24-hour period.

Earlier, it was reported that the Romanian state-owned company Nuclearelectrica had begun purchasing electricity from Ukraine with the support of the Moldovan supplier Energocom. This will help cover the shortfall caused by the shutdown of a power unit at the nuclear power plant.

Ірина Глухова