Romania launches emergency measures to cool Cernavoda nuclear plant amid Danube drought
Romania has approved urgent river dredging, dam releases, and military support to secure cooling water for the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant as Danube flows drop to recent lows.
Emergency measures for reactor cooling
Romania's National Committee for Emergency Situations (CNSU) approved a package of emergency technical measures on Friday, 21 August 2026, to ensure the water supply required for cooling the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant. The decision addresses the lowest recorded discharge on the Danube River in recent history, which threatens intake levels needed for reactor operations. Romania entered a state of energy alert on 1 August 2026 following the shutdown of Unit 1 (700 megawatts) at Cernavoda due to critically low river flows, an outage that halved the plant's electricity output. The newly approved plan combines active dredging, the construction of water deflection structures, controlled reservoir releases, and military support to protect remaining generation capacity.
- Unit 1 is shut down and energy alert declared due to low Danube water flows
- CNSU approves emergency dredging, dike construction, and dam releases
- Hidroelectrica begins five-day release of 50 cubic meters per second from Olt dams
River engineering and military support
Hydrotechnical operations are focusing directly on the Danube River near Cernavoda. The Lower Danube River Administration (AFDJ), working alongside the National Administration Romanian Waters (Apele Romane), is carrying out emergency dredging operations to clear passage for river flows. Simultaneously, Apele Romane is constructing a spur dike along the Old Danube (Dunarea Veche). This diversion structure will direct a portion of the river flow directly into the Danube-Black Sea Canal and toward the cooling water intake of the nuclear plant.
Specialists from the Ministry of National Defence (MApN) are deployed on site to carry out precise topobathymetric and geodetic measurements. Military divers from the armed forces are also assisting with underwater construction and inspection work required for the hydrotechnical installations.
Water releases from the Olt River
To increase water volume upstream of the facility, the Ministry of Energy and state hydropower producer Hidroelectrica began controlled discharges on Saturday, 22 August 2026, from reservoirs situated along the Olt River. The coordinated releases will provide an average supplementary flow rate of 50 cubic meters per second over a five-day duration. Officials noted that the additional discharged water will simultaneously generate extra electricity within the hydropower system before feeding into the Danube.
To supplement the flow of the Danube, the Ministry of Energy and the company Hidroelectrica will begin from today, 22 August 2026, to release water from reservoirs on the Olt river with an average daily supplementary rate of 50 cubic meters per second for five days. This supplementary volume of water will also be used to generate an additional amount of electricity. Water from the Danube-Black Sea Canal forms an operational reserve, and the Navigable Canals Administration, at the request of Cernavoda NPP, will ensure the release of a volume of water to the water intake of Cernavoda NPP.
Backup pumps and canal reserves
The intervention framework establishes the Danube-Black Sea Canal as a dedicated operational reserve. Upon request from Cernavoda plant operators, the Navigable Canals Administration will discharge designated water volumes directly into the plant intake system. In addition, the Department for Emergency Situations (DSU) is mobilizing high-capacity motor pumps gathered from multiple public institutions to pump water directly if river levels fall below safe thresholds. The measures were developed based on technical evaluations by the Interministerial Committee tasked with unblocking the Bala 2 project.
