Romania imports electricity heavily as one nuke reactor shuts down due to malfunction

Romania imported electricity heavily over the weekend after one of the two nuclear reactors of the Cernavoda nuclear plant operated by Nuclearelectrica was automatically disconnected from the country's power grid in the evening of July 19 due to a malfunction in the classical part of the plant, with no impact on nuclear safety. The weak output of the wind farms has deepened the deficit.

The malfunction occurred at a time when the country was already importing electricity from neighboring countries.

The authorities struggled to put online all available coal-fired power units in the previous days, pressed by rising consumption. Instant imports peaked at 2,000MW, or a quart of total consumption, on the evening of July 19.

Under ordinary circumstances, the event wouldn't have posed problems given that Romania's cross-border transfer capacity is around 3,000 MW.

But the current situation is complicated by the higher consumption of the region due to the heat wave, by generation units being shut down in neighboring countries, but also by the position of Ukraine – which turned into a net importer as it has to cover its own needs deepened by the Russian attacks destroying generation capacities of 9,000MW.

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