Cernavodă Nuclear Plant Director: Reactor 2 to remain offline for at least 10 days; crisis cell activated

Reactor 2 at Romania's Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant will be shut down for a minimum of ten days, a decision driven by critically low water levels in the Danube River. The reduced flow of the river directly impacts the cooling system essential for the reactor's operation. Romeo Urjan, the plant's director, stated that hydrological forecasts indicate a continuous decline in the Danube's level over the next ten days, making a restart impossible within that timeframe. A crisis cell has been activated at the plant, maintaining constant communication with government authorities to monitor the evolving situation. The controlled shutdown of Unit 2 is scheduled to commence on Thursday, August 13, at 7:00 AM. Urjan described the measure as exceptional, occurring amidst a persistent decrease in the Danube's discharge. He explained that the decision to restart the nuclear unit hinges on the river's water level returning to a sufficient threshold, plus a calculated safety margin. The process of restarting the unit, once conditions are met and a stable level is maintained for 24-48 hours, is considered routine. While the shutdown of Reactor 2 places additional pressure on the national energy system, plant representatives assured that reserves of heavy water and nuclear fuel are adequate. The sole issue remains the availability of water for the plant's cooling systems.

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In the next 10 days the Danube level will continuously decrease.