Unit 2 at Cernavodă has been restarted / When will the power plant be fully operational

Unit 2 of the Cernavodă nuclear power plant was reconnected to the grid on Wednesday. Subsequently, Nuclearelectrica announced that Unit 1 of the plant would be reconnected to the National Energy System on November 12, 2026, after completion of the remedial work. The reactor is expected to reach nominal power on November 13.

Unit 2 was reconnected to the grid on November 11 and is scheduled to reach nominal power on November 12. Thus, starting November 13, both reactors of the plant will operate at full capacity and will provide approximately 20% of Romania’s consumption needs.

The work was carried out in accordance with the applicable procedures, under nuclear safety conditions, without any impact on personnel or the environment. Unit 1 had been disconnected on the evening of November 9, following a malfunction in the conventional, non-nuclear part of the reactor. Nuclearelectrica stated that the incident did not affect nuclear safety.

Previously, both units had been shut down unexpectedly, including because of the Danube’s low flow rate. The shutdowns reduced Romania’s nuclear power production and increased the energy system’s dependence on wind and hydro power and imports. Nuclearelectrica also announced the replacement of the plant’s technical director, effective December 1, 2026.