Romania undertook emergency measures this week to address critically low water levels in the Danube River, which threatened to force a second reactor offline at the country’s Cernavoda nuclear power plant. Extreme heatwaves and reduced rainfall across the region have caused the river to reach record lows, with water flow dropping to 1,400 cubic meters per second—less than one-third of typical levels for this time of year. The plant’s first reactor already shut down due to these conditions, and officials warned that without intervention, the second would likely require closure within five to six days.
In response, Romania’s military loaded four barges with rock blasted from the river near the Danube’s Bala Canal and submerged them to create an underwater barrier. This structure was designed to redirect water toward the main channel flowing toward Cernavoda, located approximately 60 kilometers downstream. Plant director Romeo Urjan stated that the submersion could extend operations by an additional four to five days, though the effects would take about a day to reach the facility. He noted that water levels were declining at approximately two centimeters per day.
The Cernavoda facility generates roughly 20% of Romania’s electricity when fully operational, making its continued function critical to the nation’s energy security. Acting Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan declared a nationwide state of alert in the energy sector and appealed to citizens and local authorities to voluntarily reduce electricity consumption during peak evening hours. Officials acknowledged that Romania could face potential energy shortfalls if the plant went completely offline and warned that the country might need to import energy from neighboring nations.
The water crisis extended beyond Romania’s borders, with similar low-water challenges affecting other countries in the region. Hungary’s sole nuclear power plant faced the prospect of shutdown for the first time in decades due to analogous conditions, while Moldova, heavily dependent on imported electricity including supplies from Romania, urged its citizens to reduce usage during peak hours. The coordinated regional crisis underscored the vulnerability of European energy infrastructure to extreme weather events.
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