Romania’s nuclear energy operator Nuclearelectrica announced on Tuesday that the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant’s Unit 2—the remaining operational reactor—could be shut down due to critically low water levels in the Danube River.
Sea-news.az reports that the Digi24 TV channel broadcasted this information.
Nuclearelectrica stated that due to the continuous drop in the Danube River’s water level, Unit 2 could be shut down in a controlled manner on the morning of August 13.
Unit 1 of the Cernavodă plant was shut down in a controlled manner on July 28 due to extremely low water levels in the Danube caused by severe drought, and it is currently non-operational.
The latest statement came shortly after Sorin Rîndasu, Deputy General Manager of the Romanian National Administration “Apele Române”, told Digi24 that reactor water at Cernavodă had reached a critical level of minus 230 centimeters and, based on available data, the shutdown of Unit 2 is now inevitable. The deputy general manager added: “I have never encountered such indicators, such low flows.” Warning that the situation could worsen further, Rîndasu noted that the NPP’s Unit 2 will remain closed for at least two weeks. “Currently, all data is leading us into an extremely difficult period in terms of lack of precipitation and the levels to be recorded in the coming months,” he added.
