International press describes Romania's spectacular operation to increase Danube flow

An extraordinary operation to detonate a rock in the Danube River, aimed at boosting water flow to Romania's Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant, has captured the attention of international media. Romanian naval forces successfully dislodged the Pârjoaia rock in the Bala arm of the river, diverting more water towards the Old Danube and the power plant.

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Explosion for saving the water supply for the Cotroceni plant

The intervention has become a prominent example of the impact of drought and the energy crisis on critical European infrastructure. Major publications and news agencies, including The Guardian, Reuters, and Le Figaro, reported on the controlled explosion designed to increase water flow in a crucial part of the river. Le Figaro described the event as an "explosion to save the water supply for the Cotroceni plant," noting that Romanian naval forces conducted a "controlled explosion" in the Danube's riverbed to increase the flow to a branch of the river, thereby securing water for the Cernavodă plant.

The French publication highlighted that the operation involved over 100 military personnel and engineering specialists after a large rock formation blocked water circulation to the plant. French journalists emphasized that the measure was taken amidst critically low Danube levels, which are pressuring nuclear power production in both Romania and Hungary. The Guardian, under the headline "Romania carries out controlled explosion to divert drought-hit Danube water to nuclear reactor," framed the operation as an exceptional measure underscoring the severity of the energy crisis in Central and Eastern Europe.

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Romania carries out controlled explosion to divert drought-hit Danube water to nuclear reactor

According to The Guardian, the explosion utilized 180 kilograms of explosives to remove the rock formation that was limiting water flow. The newspaper recalled that both Romania and Hungary have been forced to reduce the output of some nuclear reactors due to the Danube's low levels. The situation is also affecting other regional countries, with Serbia's main hydroelectric power plant operating at only 20% capacity, prompting emergency meetings among authorities to manage the energy situation. Reuters described the rock detonation as an unprecedented intervention, emphasizing the scale of drought-related problems impacting energy production. The agency noted that Romania's state-owned nuclear power producer, Nuclearelectrica, had already been compelled to shut down one of its two reactors at Cernavodă due to the reduced river levels.

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unprecedented intervention, which highlights the scale of the problems caused by the drought on energy production