Bulgaria’s Kozloduy nuclear power plant will again reduce output from its 1,000-MW unit 5 as persistently low Danube water levels constrain operations, limiting the availability of one of the region’s main baseload generators.
The reactor is expected to lower output by about 60 MW, reversing part of the capacity restored at the end of August. Unit 5 had returned to around 950 MW on August 31 after river conditions briefly improved.
The plant previously cut the reactor’s output by about 120 MW on August 21 as a precaution linked to low water levels.
Kozloduy said the adjustments were intended to maintain safe operations while matching generation to local hydrological conditions.
Unit 6, also rated at 1,000 MW, is expected to remain broadly in line with the production plan, although its output has also been reduced slightly in recent weeks. Gross generation stood at around 983 MW on September 14.
The renewed cut shows that late-August improvements were not sufficient to remove the hydrological constraint. Continued reductions could tighten Bulgaria’s export capacity and increase regional dependence on thermal generation during evening demand peaks.
