Romania has shut down the last operating reactor at its only nuclear power plant in Cernavoda on Thursday morning as the Danube’s water level had fallen too low after a prolonged drought.
The reactor was taken offline at about 10:00, ending all nuclear power production at the site.
The shutdown had been announced on Wednesday, and the process began at around 07:00 on Thursday. The plant relies on water from the Danube for cooling, but a lack of rainfall caused the river level to drop too far.
At the end of July, the plant’s first reactor was already switched off because of the drought. In recent days, Romania took unprecedented steps to raise the Danube’s water level. Authorities blasted a rock formation and sank four stone-filled barges to redirect the current and secure enough water for cooling. The measures provided only a few days of relief.
Under normal circumstances, the Cernavoda plant supplies about a fifth of Romania’s electricity. The government has declared a state of emergency over energy supplies and urged households and businesses to cut power consumption as much as possible.
Neighbouring Hungary has also had to shut down all of its nuclear reactors because of the Danube’s low water level. Hydroelectric plants in Austria and Serbia are operating at historically low levels.
