Romania Continues to Keep Nuclear Power Plants Operational Due to Record-Low Water Levels in the Danube
Romanian authorities have carried out extensive work on the Danube to ensure the cooling of the country’s sole nuclear reactor, which continues to operate amid a record drop in water levels. According to preliminary estimates, these temporary measures should last for at least nine days.
Due to severe drought, the Danube’s water level has fallen to record lows.
The river is a vital cooling source for Romania’s nuclear power plants, so the critical drop in water levels has already begun to affect the country’s power grid.
Romania has two nuclear reactors in operation, which typically provide about 20% of the country’s electricity. One of them has already had to be shut down due to insufficient water for cooling.
To increase the flow of water to the reactor, Romanian authorities carried out a series of engineering measures.
Specifically, they blew up a rock barrier, deepened the Danube riverbed, and sank four barges loaded with rocks to form a temporary dam. As a result, the water level near the reactor rose by approximately 4 centimeters.
“According to current forecasts, this ensures the necessary conditions for the reactor to operate for at least the next nine days,” the Romanian Ministry of Energy stated.
Amid an abnormal heat wave, drought, and a reduction in nuclear power generation, Romania has been forced to increase its electricity imports.
In August, the country’s authorities had already declared a state of emergency in the energy sector and called on the public and businesses to voluntarily reduce electricity consumption during the evening hours, when the load on the grid is highest.
At the same time, Romania expects the water level of the Danube to gradually stabilize after August 15.
The country’s State Agency for Water Resources forecasts that the river’s level will rise due to rainfall in the upper reaches.
Previously, the record-low water levels in the Danube had already affected the operation of power facilities not only in Romania but also in neighboring Hungary, which also uses the river’s water to cool its power plants.
This was reported by The Independent.
Romania will continue to operate the second power unit at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant for at least another nine days. The decision was made after the water level in the Danube near the plant rose by 4 cm.
Romanian authorities have warned of a potential forced shutdown of Unit 2 at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant due to falling water levels in the Danube River, according to Christian Bușoi, State Secretary at the Ministry of Energy.
