Danube Levels Continue to Fall as Authorities Prepare Phased Water Plan for Cernavodă Nuclear Plant

Romanian authorities are preparing ships, modular barriers and high-capacity pumps to protect the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant as the Danube continues to fall.

The National Committee for Emergency Situations approved a phased plan that can be activated if the water level reaches 1.58 meters in the plant's water-intake basin. The Danube's flow is forecast to decline again from Sept. 10, prompting preparations for a temporary system at the Cernavodă confluence, where the Old Danube branch meets the entrance to the Danube-Black Sea Canal.

The first stage would place several ships or barges across a stretch of about 600 meters. Their positioning would redirect the flow in the Old Danube branch, sending more water toward the canal and, consequently, the plant's intake. If that does not provide enough water, authorities would install a modular closure made of pontoons and water barriers across roughly 170 meters near the plant's connecting canal. A temporary stone dam could replace the system if necessary.

If the first two measures fail, Romania's National Water Administration and Nuclearelectrica would use high-capacity pumps to bring additional water to the intake used to cool the plant. The plan is temporary, modular and reversible, allowing officials to adjust the response as the river level changes. Work by the water administration will receive funding through an increase in the Environment Ministry's budget from the government's reserve fund. Other institutions and operators will cover their own costs from their budgets or other available sources. The CNSU decision appeared in Romania's Official Gazette on Sept. 2, 2026.