Romania on the Brink of Energy Collapse After Cernavodă Reactor Shutdown: 'Most Expensive Energy in the EU!'

Romania is grappling with a critical energy shortage, a situation exacerbated by the recent shutdown of two key reactors at the Cernavodă nuclear power plant. This development, coupled with the already soaring global energy prices, has placed Romania in the unenviable position of having the most expensive electricity within the European Union. Energy expert Ioan Purica voices strong criticism of the nation's energy policies, arguing that a premature abandonment of nuclear power, alongside an over-reliance on wind and solar, has created a perfect storm.

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The basic idea is that Reactor 2 at Cernavodă had a problem and is changing a step-up transformer, and Reactor 1 entered scheduled maintenance on Sunday evening. This means two units, those two units, 1,400 megawatts, which we don't have in the system for the time being.

Purica points out the irony that even the European Commission is now acknowledging the strategic error in moving away from nuclear energy, a source Romania has heavily invested in. The current deficit of approximately 1,400 megawatts, caused by the temporary outage of Reactor 2 for transformer replacement and Reactor 1's scheduled maintenance, necessitates significant energy imports. This reliance on external sources, especially during a period of global price volatility, is a direct blow to Romania's energy security and economic competitiveness.

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For the period while Unit 2 changes its transformer — so a few days until then — there will be a need for imports. Because, unfortunately, we aligned ourselves with the past policy of the European Commission: to stop coal, to stop everything and to rely, as I sometimes joke, on 'the whims of the wind and the sun', meaning to rely exclusively on these energy sources.

From a Romanian perspective, as highlighted by Adevărul, this crisis underscores a fundamental flaw in prioritizing fluctuating renewable sources over the stable, reliable power provided by nuclear energy. The narrative often pushed in Western media focuses on the environmental benefits of renewables, but it frequently overlooks the practical realities of energy security and affordability for citizens. For Romania, a nation striving for economic stability and industrial growth, expensive energy is not just an inconvenience; it's a significant impediment. The government's past policies, influenced by broader European trends, are now being re-evaluated as the nation confronts the harsh consequences of energy insecurity. The focus must shift back to ensuring a consistent and affordable energy supply, a lesson learned at a steep price.

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So, the basic idea is that — very clearly, moreover, the European Commission has started to wake up too — we will have to remake our promises and policies starting from energy security.