The Danube level close to Romania’s Cernavodă nuclear plant increased by some 8 cm compared to the projected level after two barges were sunk to change the water flow, the manager of the nuclear plant, Romeo Urjan, announced, cited by Digi24 on Sunday, August 9.

The updated forecast indicated at that moment that the plant could keep functioning for another nine days before full shutdown under the conditions of low Danube flow rates – compared to four to five days estimated previously. 

The effects of the latter two of the total of four barges sunk in a complex operation aimed at diverting more water to the Danube arm supplying water to Cernavodă could be visible on Monday, August 10, according to the Romanian Waters National Administration Company, which participated in the operations.

Under the current record low levels of Danube affecting more nuclear plants in the region that use the river’s water for cooling, Cernavodă NPP keeps in operation only one of its two reactors with a net output of 680 MW, roughly one tenth of the peak national consumption.

The second unit’s shutdown could force Transelectrica to gradually disconnect industrial users under a mechanism legislated by the Government last week.

"The danger has not passed; the Danube currents are strong and can be very unpredictable. At any moment, the barges can be displaced from their current position, and the redirection of the additional flow to Cernavodă can be reduced (or even cancelled)," warned in a Facebook post Ionel Scrioşteanu, who coordinated the action on the Danube.

In related news, Transelectrica announced that Romania managed to cover its peak consumption and even export energy during strong output contributed by the wind farms on the evening of August 8, and the favourable situation continued on the morning of Sunday, August 9. The wind farms were generating above 2 GW at that time, while their output fell again under 600 MW on the morning of August 10.

(Photo: screen grab from video by Apele Române)

iulian@romania-insider.com