Czech nuclear safety officials say domestic nuclear power plants have sufficient cooling water for both existing and new units
Droughts across parts of Europe are affecting the operation of some nuclear power plants. Due to low water levels and flow rates in the Danube River, two reactors at Romania's Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant have been shut down, and Hungary's Paks Nuclear Power Plant also faces the risk of a complete shutdown. Štěpán Kochánek, Chairman of the Czech State Office for Nuclear Safety (SÚJB), stated that plant operators should not be allowed to continue operating units at full power when cooling water is insufficient, and that related shutdown measures are conservative actions predefined in operating procedures. Kochánek explained that reactor shutdowns are not an unusually rare operation. Unit shutdown typically involves gradually reducing reactor power, inserting control rods, and bringing fission reactions to a minimal level or complete cessation. After shutdown, the reactor still requires cooling, but the demand for cooling water volume and capacity is significantly lower than during full-power operation. He noted that this process shares similarities with planned outages such as refueling overhauls and is a standardized procedure that operators should master.
2026-08-05
