Low Danube levels force Bulgaria to build dike at Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant

Bulgaria is undertaking emergency construction of a dike on the Danube River, near the Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), to address critically low water levels that threaten its operations. The Bulgarian Minister of Energy, Iva Petrova, announced that the dike would likely span between 250 and 300 meters, with the precise dimensions to be finalized during the design phase. Construction is anticipated to last between 10 and 15 days.

While design work for the dike is in progress, authorities are also evaluating alternative methods for supplying water to the plant. The Danube's water level saw a slight increase on Monday, allowing Unit 5 at Kozloduy to maintain 91.4% of its capacity. However, the overall situation remains precarious due to the extreme drought conditions affecting the river.

This is not the first time the nuclear plant has faced challenges due to the low water levels. In a historic event for the 52-year-old facility, production at Unit 5 was reduced by approximately 120 MW last Friday. This reduction, from a capacity of just over 1,000 MW, was directly attributed to extreme weather and hydrological conditions. The situation has implications beyond Bulgaria's borders, as Romania is currently importing significant amounts of electricity from Bulgaria. A diminished output from Kozloduy could reduce Bulgaria's export capacity to Romania, potentially increasing pressure on regional energy prices.

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Bulgaria consumes approximately 90,000 megawatt-hours of electricity per day, produces about 130,000 and exports about 31,000.