Romanian authorities strive to bring online Cernavoda nuclear power plant

The Romanian water management company Apele Romane will build a dam to increase the level of the Danube at Cernavoda nuclear power plant after dredging works with the same purpose, while the state-controlled company Hidroelectrica has released more water from its Olt River hydropower plants to help the nuclear company bring online faster at least one of its two reactors currently shut down, according to G4media.ro and Radio Romania Constanta. Spectacular works including exploding a large rock and sinking barges proved inefficient in raising the water levels at Cernavoda NPP over the last weeks, keeping Romania’s imports of expensive electricity high during the peak hours.

Under these conditions, the National Emergency Committee set up to address the crisis situation changed its strategy, after the first attempt to sink barges loaded with stone did not yield the expected results.