Romanian nuclear power producer Nuclearelectrica has announced that Unit 2 of the Cernavodă nuclear power plant will remain offline for a longer period than initially expected, following an automatic shutdown earlier this month.
The reactor was disconnected from the national grid on the evening of 4 May after a fault was detected in an insulator associated with one of the unit’s power transformers. The company confirmed that the issue triggered the plant’s automatic protection systems, resulting in a safe and controlled shutdown of the reactor.
According to Nuclearelectrica, Unit 2 is now undergoing a controlled outage procedure to allow repair and replacement work to be carried out in accordance with strict nuclear safety standards and technical regulations. The planned maintenance includes replacing the affected transformer with a backup system, which is expected to extend the downtime.
The operator stressed that the malfunction did not pose any risk to nuclear safety, and that all safety systems functioned as designed during the incident.
In parallel, the company confirmed that Unit 1 at Cernavodă is scheduled to enter a planned maintenance outage starting 10 May. During this period, engineers will perform inspections, technical testing, maintenance operations, and system upgrades to ensure continued safe and efficient operation.
The Cernavodă nuclear power plant, Romania’s only nuclear facility, operates two CANDU reactors and plays a crucial role in the country’s electricity generation mix, providing a significant share of baseload power to the national grid.
