Romania has started a controlled shutdown of the second reactor at its Cernavoda nuclear power plant due to severe drought and low water levels in the Danube River.
Nuclear Power Plant Shutdown
The plant, which accounts for about 20% of the country’s electricity generation, uses river water to cool its two reactors. The shutdown of the first reactor occurred in late July, and now the second reactor is being shut down due to the continued decrease in the Danube River’s water level.
The Romanian Ministry of Energy stated that the country’s electricity supply would be fully covered by alternative sources and imports after the shutdown of the second reactor. Efforts to avert the shutdown, including sinking barges loaded with rock near the Danube’s Bala Canal, were unsuccessful.
The shutdown has no impact on nuclear safety parameters, including personnel, the environment, and the population, according to the plant operator Nuclearelectrica.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
