Romania’s Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant has initiated the technical procedures preceding the controlled shutdown of its second nuclear reactor, the so-called Unit 2, due to the very low flow of the Danube. The river water was essential for the cooling of the pumps used by the plant. 

The shutdown of Unit 2, scheduled for Thursday, August 13, represents the complete closure of the facility in Cernavodă. The nuclear power plant, operated by Bucharest Exchange-listed company Nuclearelectrica (BVB: SNN), shut down Unit 1 in late July for the same reason, as drought persists in the Danube basin.

Sorin Rândașu, deputy general manager of Romanian Waters, said that the critical threshold of -230 cm water level had been reached at Cernavodă. “In the coming period, the plant will be shut down; it is inevitable. It will be shut down for about two weeks, as an estimate. In the next five days there will be no rain at all in the Danube basin, according to the data we have,” Rândașu told Digi24.

Previously, the state secretary in the Ministry of Energy, Cristian Bușoi, also stated that Unit 2 at Cernavodă will not be able to remain in operation throughout August. 

To compensate for the loss of energy, the Rovinari 4 energy unit of the Oltenia Energy Complex will be restarted and integrated into the national power grid.

However, without nuclear energy, which ensured roughly 20% of Romania’s consumption, the country will have to reduce consumption and increase expensive energy imports, especially in the evening. The phased limitation of consumption for certain large industrial consumers, in the 7 PM and 11 PM interval, is the last measure in the order of priority and could be applied, according to the authorities. Household consumers are not targeted by the consumption limitation mechanism, the same source added.

However, Romania’s Energy Ministry again appealed to the population, public institutions and economic operators to limit their energy consumption between 7 PM and 11 PM. A similar call had been issued last week and echoed by prime minister Ilie Bolojan.

Separately, through a stock exchange announcement issued on Tuesday, August 11, Nuclearelectrica drew attention to a series of Notices of the Existence of a Force Majeure Event by the Constanța Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Navigation and Agriculture (CCINA), applicable in the case of electricity supply contracts. This means that the company may not be able to fulfill contractual obligations.

“Nuclearelectrica will send to its contractual partners an estimate regarding the duration of the period during which it will not be able to fulfil its obligations. Nuclearelectrica will make all commercially reasonable efforts to minimise the effects of the Force Majeure Event,” the company stated.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Nuclearelectrica photo)