Romania's Cernavodă nuclear plant shuts down Unit 1 as Danube drought hits 30-year low flow

Romania's state-owned Nuclearelectrica (SNN) announced that Unit 1 of the Cernavodă nuclear power plant will be shut down in a controlled manner and disconnected from the national grid on the morning of 28 July 2026. The decision follows forecasts from the National Institute of Hydrology and Water Management (INHGA) and is driven by the Danube's critically low water level, which the company described as unprecedented and caused by severe drought.

Unit 1 will be shut down in a controlled manner due to the unprecedented low level of the Danube, caused by severe drought, in accordance with the plant's procedures applicable in severe drought situations.

The Danube reached its lowest flow in 30 years, 1,750 cubic metres per second, on 16 July. To mitigate the impact, Romanian water authorities and Hidroelectrica began controlled water releases from reservoirs on the Olt and Argeș rivers, aiming to maintain minimum levels needed for nuclear energy production at Cernavodă. Nuclearelectrica stressed that the shutdown is preventive and that keeping the unit in a safe shutdown state has no impact on nuclear safety, personnel or the environment. The company will issue a statement when Unit 1 is reconnected to the grid. The last similar shutdown of Unit 1 occurred on 23 August 2003.