The Secretary of State in the Ministry of Energy, Cristian Bușoi, announces that restarting the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant depends on an increase in the Danube’s flow rate and the specialists’ decision / “We cannot risk the pumps being damaged”

State Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Cristian Bușoi, declared Wednesday evening on Digi24 that the authorities cannot yet estimate when the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant will be restarted, given that the flow of the Danube remains low. He specified that the plant must be secured, and that the final decision will belong to specialists.

"The forecasts closest to reality cover the next ten days, and they show that we are not talking about a sustained increase (in the level of the Danube's waters — ed. note), but rather decreases, which is extremely worrying. The final decision will certainly be that of the specialists, because we must secure the Cernavodă Plant, restart it safely, and we cannot risk the pumps being damaged; it would take months, perhaps a year, to replace them," Cristian Bușoi said Wednesday evening on Digi 24.

According to Bușoi, the most reliable forecasts for the next ten days do not indicate a sustained increase in the level of the Danube. Some estimates, considered less precise, show that an increase in flow rates might occur only toward the end of October or the beginning of November.

The authorities will announce the resumption of operations only after the safety conditions have been confirmed. Bușoi also emphasized that the timing of the announcement must be managed carefully, as it may influence decisions to purchase and contract energy on the market.