Romanian authorities have started emergency engineering work on the Danube to preserve cooling-water supplies for unit 2 of the Cernavoda nuclear power plant, as prolonged drought pushes river flows towards exceptionally low levels.
One Cernavoda unit has already been taken offline. The remaining reactor continues to operate, but further deterioration in cooling-water conditions could remove a generating unit responsible for close to 20 per cent of Romania’s electricity production capacity.
The intervention includes removing a large rock obstructing the river channel, partially closing the Bala branch, sinking stone-filled barges and undertaking additional dredging. The objective is to direct more water towards the Old Danube branch supplying Cernavoda.
Romania’s Naval Forces attempted to remove the obstruction with controlled explosions on 2 August, but the initial operation was unsuccessful. A second attempt with larger charges was subsequently planned.
Authorities also prepared to sink four barges carrying about 500 tonnes of stone in the Bala branch. The structures are intended to alter the distribution of the river flow and preserve the intake conditions required by the nuclear plant.
The government declared an energy alert for the whole of August. System pressure was expected to remain greatest until around 15 August, with contingency planning extending to emergency electricity imports and possible temporary demand reductions by large industrial consumers.
Household interruptions were not expected, but the loss of the second reactor would materially tighten Romania’s evening balance. The country was already importing electricity on a net daily basis while exporting substantial volumes to Hungary during periods of northern scarcity.
The engineering work demonstrates the growing connection between water management and electricity security. Cernavoda’s exposure is not only a nuclear operating issue; it affects Romanian wholesale prices, regional cross-border flows, industrial demand management and Hungary’s access to southeastern electricity.
