Romania could remain without generation from the Cernavoda nuclear power plant until late September, increasing reliance on thermal plants, renewables and imports as the country approaches the higher-demand winter period.
Both reactors have been offline since Aug. 13. Unit 1 had already stopped in July before unit 2 was subsequently shut down.
Persistently low Danube levels are restricting the cooling conditions required for a restart.
Coal and gas generation and cross-border imports have so far compensated for part of the missing nuclear output, supported by continued nuclear generation in Hungary and Bulgaria.
Expected stronger wind generation could provide additional near-term support, with the Energy Ministry expecting peak imports to remain below 2 GW.
The more difficult test would come if the nuclear outage extends further towards winter.
Romanian summer peak consumption typically reaches around 7.5-8 GW, while winter requirements are substantially higher. Demand reached 9.235 GW on Jan. 19, 2026.
The Energy Ministry plans to reassess the situation after Sept. 15.
Cernavoda’s return has therefore become an increasingly important variable for Romanian and regional winter power balances. Every additional week without nuclear generation leaves more of the country’s requirement dependent on thermal fuel costs, renewable weather conditions and available cross-border capacity.
