Romania shuts Cernavodă nuclear plant as Danube water levels fall sharply

Romania shut down its only nuclear power station, Cernavodă, on 13 August after falling water levels in the Danube — caused by extended drought across much of Europe — prevented adequate cooling of the plant's two reactors, which together normally supply about one-fifth of the country's electricity.

Plant director Romeo Urjan told AFP that a restart was not expected within the next ten days. The facility's first reactor had already been taken offline in July; the second was disconnected from the grid on 13 August, according to both sources. Nuclearelectrica, the national nuclear energy company, cited 'the significant and ongoing drop in the water level of the River Danube' as the reason for the second shutdown.

Prior to the full closure, Romania attempted to divert enough of the river's flow to keep the reactors cooled. According to The Straits Times, the country budgeted more than €2 million for those efforts, which included demolishing a rock formation and sinking four barges loaded with rocks into the river. The BBC described the measure as sinking barges loaded with rocks to increase water flow to the plant.

Cernavodă, which houses two reactors, has been shut down only once previously — in 2003, also because of drought — according to both sources. The BBC notes each reactor has a capacity of 706 megawatts; The Straits Times describes them as 700MW reactors.

To offset the power shortfall, Romania's energy ministry said on 12 August that wind power and electricity imports were expected to maintain adequate supply, according to The Straits Times. The BBC added that traditional coal- and gas-powered generation would also need to be supplemented by imports during evening hours. The ministry reiterated an appeal for 'responsible consumption' and warned that, as a last resort, large industrial consumers could face restrictions in the evening hours. According to The Straits Times, carmakers Dacia and Ford had already paused production in Romania until 19 August to help address the power deficit.

Romania also has significant hydropower capacity, though that too has been reduced by the same low river levels, according to the BBC.

Neighbouring Hungary has so far avoided a full shutdown of its Paks nuclear plant, which also uses the Danube for cooling and whose four reactors ordinarily provide around a third of Hungary's electricity, according to The Straits Times. However, the plant has been partially shut down since late July, according to The Straits Times. Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar said the government had ordered construction of a submerged wall, or weir, to help control flows near the plant, and that two 80-metre barges were being stationed at Paks that could be sunk to raise the water level, according to The Straits Times. The BBC reported that Magyar had warned last month that Paks could be forced to shut down entirely for the first time, and that plant officials said the suction nozzles used to draw in water could not reach the river at current levels.

Nearly two-thirds of the Danube recorded flow rates that were the lowest for any July in 34 years, according to an analysis published on 10 August by the European climate change observatory Copernicus, as reported by The Straits Times. The BBC described water levels as the lowest in 30 years in several countries. The current drought has been exacerbated by human-induced climate change, according to The Straits Times, citing a report by the World Weather Attribution group of scientists, who warned the problem is set to worsen. Low water levels have also severely disrupted shipping along the Danube's roughly 2,850-kilometre route from western Germany to the Black Sea, according to The Straits Times.

Where sources differ

• The two sources give slightly different figures for the reactor capacity at Cernavodă: the BBC states 706 megawatts each, while The Straits Times describes them as 700MW reactors.
• The two sources characterise the historic low differently: the BBC states levels are the lowest in 30 years, while The Straits Times, citing Copernicus data, refers to the lowest flow rates for a July in 34 years.

• Neither source clarifies how long Romania's first reactor had been offline in July before the second was shut on 13 August.
• The sources do not specify when or whether Paks in Hungary may face a full shutdown, beyond indicating that conditions could worsen.
• Neither source details the full extent of industrial or consumer-level electricity restrictions actually implemented in Romania, beyond the voluntary pause by Dacia and Ford.
• The sources do not report any response or comment from Dacia or Ford regarding the production pause.
• The full economic impact of the shutdown on Romania has not been assessed in either source.
• Neither source confirms whether the rock-demolition and barge-sinking measures had any measurable effect on water levels at Cernavodă before the decision to shut the second reactor was made.

1. BBC World — original — by Jaroslav Lukiv
2. The Straits Times — by The Straits Times

Read the original at BBC World

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