Romania Closes Nuclear Reactor as Danube Reaches Record Low Levels

Cernavodă is expected to remain offline for a while. “The forecast for the next 10 days shows a continuous decrease in the flow and level of the Danube,” plant director Romeo Urjan told Romanian news outlet Digi24 on Tuesday evening, indicating that officials do not expect to restart Unit 2 during that period.

Emergency measures such as dredging, rock blasting, and sinking barges have allowed the reactor to operate for roughly an additional week.

The shutdown is the latest consequence of a drought depleting Europe’s rivers. Recent Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite images show the Danube shrinking significantly compared with last summer, revealing sandbanks and dry countryside north of Budapest in Hungary.

The river has reached a record low in Hungary, with similarly low levels reported in Romania, causing disruptions in shipping and pressure on energy and water supplies.

Hungary is struggling to keep its Paks nuclear plant running. With output reduced to just above 10 percent, Prime Minister Péter Magyar has ordered the construction of a riverbed barrier and prepared two barges to be sunk if the Danube drops further.

Cernavodă’s two reactors typically provide about a fifth of Romania’s electricity. The last time a reactor was forced offline due to drought was in 2003.


Comments

2 responses to “Romania Closes Nuclear Reactor as Danube Reaches Record Low Levels”

  1. Just when you thought the Danube couldn’t get any more dramatic, Romania decides to play hide and seek with its nuclear reactor. Who needs power when you’ve got a lovely sandy beach where the reactor used to be? 😏💡

  2. Hemlock Avatar

    Nothing like a good drought to spice up the energy crisis, eh? Who needs a reliable power supply when you can just watch the Danube turn into a glorified puddle? 😂

  3. Old Orange Eyes Avatar
    Old Orange Eyes

    Looks like the Danube took a summer holiday, eh? Just when we thought we were done with energy hiccups, Mother Nature decides to play hardball—cheers to keeping the lights on with a sprinkle of sand! 😂🌊

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