Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant Fully Shut Down Due to Falling Danube River Water Levels

Due to the continuous decline of the Danube River water level, the two units of Romania's only nuclear power plant——Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant have been successively shut down. To alleviate the pressure on electricity supply, Unit 4 of the Rovinari coal-fired cogeneration plant has been put into operation, adding approximately 330 megawatts of generating capacity to Romania's power system.

Romania's nuclear power company (Nuclearelectrica) previously reported that due to the sharp decline in the Danube River water level, which affected the assurance of cooling water for the reactor, Unit 2 of the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant was shut down in a controlled manner on the morning of August 13. The company stated that the shutdown process was carried out in accordance with procedures.

At the end of July this year, Unit 1 of the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant had already been shut down for the same reason. With the closure of Unit 2, this nuclear power plant, which supplies approximately 20% of Romania's electricity, has entered a state of complete shutdown.

Meanwhile, Unit 4 of the Rovinari coal-fired cogeneration plant has resumed operation. The union president of the plant, Ian Popescu, stated that to start up this unit, the plant recalled several retired technical experts to participate in the relevant work. He also noted that the plant's current coal reserves can sustain operations for approximately 7 to 8 days.