Video: Four barges to be flooded in Romania to prevent a shutdown at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant — Digi24
In Romania, four barges loaded with rocks will be sunk in the Danube to raise the water level near the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant and ensure its safe operation.
According to Digi24, the sinking of the barges is scheduled for August 5. This measure is intended to help raise the water level in the Danube, which is essential for cooling the nuclear power plant’s reactors.
Previously, Romanian experts had already carried out engineering work, including blasting a rock face to alter the river’s course. This raised the water level by approximately two centimeters.
Romanian Energy Minister Radu Miruce stated that every additional day of operation at the nuclear power plant is economically far more beneficial than the cost of carrying out such work.
Currently, one power unit at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant has already been shut down, reducing the country’s generating capacity by approximately 10%. At the same time, the plant’s second power unit is also at risk of being shut down.
A similar situation is unfolding in Hungary, where low water levels have put the country’s only nuclear power plant at risk of shutdown. However, according to Prime Minister Péter Magyar, the water level has recently risen by 1.5 centimeters.
This was reported by Digi24.
As a reminder, on August 4, Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar stated that the Paks Nuclear Power Plant was “just a few millimeters” away from a complete shutdown due to critically low water levels in the Danube.
The occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant lost its external power supply and operated on diesel generators for about an hour to maintain critical nuclear safety systems. The power loss marked the 12th blackout at the plant since the beginning of 2026 and the 24th since the start of the Russian occupation.
