On August 13, Romania began to completely stop its only nuclear power plant after the water level of the Danube River, the water source used to cool the plant, dropped to a record low.
Information announced by Romanian national nuclear power company Nuclearelectrica.
Last month, Nuclearelectrica stopped 1 of the 2 reactors at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant. This plant usually supplies about 1/5 of the total electricity output of this Eastern European country.
The second reactor also had to stop operating "due to the Danube River water level continuing to drop significantly," Nuclearelectrica stated in a statement.
Nuclearelectrica announced that on the morning of August 13, 2026, the company started controlled stop procedures for unit 2 at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant" - the statement stated.
For many days, Romania has been trying to prevent the complete shutdown of both reactors, each with a capacity of 700 MW, of this plant.
The measures being implemented include detonating a rock and sinking 4 barges full of rock into the river to find ways to navigate the flow. The total cost of these measures is estimated at more than 2 million euros.
This is the first time the plant has had to stop operating since the 2003 drought, when it was forced to close for several weeks.
On August 13, the Romanian Ministry of Energy said that alternative power sources, including wind power, along with imported power sources, are expected to meet the country's electricity supply needs. The Ministry also continued to call on people to "use electricity responsibly".
Unprecedented heat waves and little rain across Europe this year have caused the water level of the Danube River to drop sharply.
According to an analysis released by the European Climate Change Observatory Copernicus on August 10, water flow at nearly 2/3 of the length of the Danube River has fallen to its lowest level in July history, in 34 years of measurement data.
A report by the World Weather Attribution group of scientists suggests that the current severe drought is more severe due to climate change, and warns that this issue will continue to worsen.
