Nuclearelectrica halted a reactor at Cernavoda plant, removing 20% of Romania’s power amid record-low Danube levels.
Romania’s Nuclearelectrica shut down the second reactor at its Cernavoda nuclear plant on August 13 due to insufficient cooling water from the drought-stricken Danube. The shutdown marks the first full outage at the plant since 2003 and cuts Romania’s electricity supply by roughly 20%.
Earlier this month, authorities spent over 2 million euros detonating rocks and sinking barges to redirect water toward the plant, but efforts failed. Automakers Dacia and Ford temporarily idled Romanian factories to conserve power for other users. The Danube’s water levels are at historic lows, exacerbating Europe’s energy crisis.
No immediate market reaction was reported, but the outage adds strain to an already tight regional power grid.