Romania is preparing emergency dredging, reservoir releases and temporary water-management measures to restore adequate cooling conditions at NPP Cernavoda, where exceptionally low Danube levels have left both reactors unavailable.
The plant has been offline since 13 August, according to the report, after water levels became insufficient for its cooling requirements.
One of the measures under consideration is an aqueduct on the Old Danube designed to redirect additional water toward the Danube-Black Sea Canal and the area supplying Cernavoda. Emergency dredging around the intake is also planned.
The National Committee for Emergency Situations has approved a wider intervention involving several state institutions and the military. Defence Ministry specialists are expected to conduct geodetic and topobathymetric surveys, while military divers would support underwater work.
Authorities are also attempting to increase river flows from upstream reservoirs. Starting on 22 August, Hidroelectrica began releasing an additional average 50 cubic metres per second from reservoirs on the Olt River for five days. The water continues through hydropower plants on its way downstream, allowing electricity production to continue during the release.
Water stored in the Danube-Black Sea Canal is being held as another reserve, while high-capacity pumps are being prepared as an additional emergency option.
Romania has meanwhile returned two coal-fired generating units to service to compensate partially for the lost nuclear output.
The episode illustrates how hydrological conditions can affect several technologies simultaneously. Low water can restrict nuclear cooling, influence hydro management and ultimately require thermal generation to return to service. Cernavoda’s outage has therefore become not only a nuclear-operational issue but a broader test of the electricity system’s capacity to withstand prolonged hydrological stress.
