Cernavodă power plant remains shut down / Low Danube water flow delays reactor restart

The Cernavodă nuclear power plant will not be able to restart for at least the next ten days, energy officials announced Tuesday, as the Danube’s flow remains extremely low. Both reactors have been shut down for protection because the reduced water level is affecting the cooling process.

Nuclearelectrica Technical Director Emil Macovei said there is still no firm reopening date. Cristian Bușoi, secretary of state at the Ministry of Energy, said forecasts remain unfavorable and that the Danube’s flow has not yet begun to rise. The Lower Danube River Administration in Galați is carrying out dredging work in the Cernavodă area in an effort to speed up the resumption of operations.

The first unit was shut down on July 28, 2026, and the second on August 13, after it was no longer possible to keep it operating. The two reactors supplied approximately 20% of Romania’s dispatchable electricity.

The authorities have also prepared a three-stage emergency plan involving the positioning of barges, the construction of a stone embankment, and the use of pumps to cool the plant. The measures will be activated if the water level in the intake basin falls to 1.58 meters. Forecasts indicate further decreases in flow starting September 10 — not exactly the kind of countdown anyone wants to watch at a nuclear plant.

The authorities have also prepared a three-stage emergency plan, which provides for the positioning of barges, the construction of a stone embankment, and the use of pumps to cool the plant. The measures will be activated if the water level in the intake basin falls to 1.58 meters. Forecasts indicate further decreases in flow starting September 10.