Due to the shallowing Danube, Romania stopped the operation of its only NPP
Romania on Thursday, August 13, began a full shutdown of its only nuclear power plant, Cernavodă. The reason was a record low water level in the Danube, which is used to cool the reactors, reports the BBC.
The nuclear power plant usually provides about a fifth of all electricity in Romania. It has two reactors, each with a capacity of 700 MW.
Back in July, Nuclearelectrica was forced to shut down one of its two reactors. The second reactor also had to be disconnected due to a significant and prolonged decrease in the water level of the Danube.
Romanian authorities tried for several days to prevent a complete shutdown of the station. Engineering works were carried out to raise the water level and change the riverbed: in particular, rocks were blown up and four barges loaded with stones were sunk. More than 2 million euros have already been spent on these measures.
The complete suspension of Cernavodă was the first such situation since the 2003 drought, when the plant also did not operate for several weeks.
Romania has already declared an energy emergency for the entire month of August. The authorities called on businesses and the public to voluntarily reduce electricity consumption during evening peak hours.
To compensate for the electricity deficit, Romania relies on alternative sources, including wind power and imports. A 330 MW lignite power plant was also launched. The authorities expect to increase the generation of wind and hydropower depending on the water situation in the reservoirs.
Problems due to the shallowing of the Danube also arose in Hungary. There is also a risk of limiting the operation of the Paks NPP, which needs water from the same river to cool its reactors.
The Hungarian government decided to carry out engineering work on the river and build an underwater sill across the riverbed to raise the water level. The work is planned to be carried out around the clock, using almost 150 thousand cubic meters of stone and with the participation of the military. The cost of the project is estimated at approximately 6 billion forints, or about 19 million dollars.
According to the Hungarian government's calculations, such a sill could raise the water level by about a meter and allow the NPP to resume full operation within a few weeks.
As a temporary measure, the authorities are also considering the possibility of sinking two 80-meter barges. This could raise the water level by about 20 centimeters and allow the plant to operate until the construction of the sill is completed.
The sharp shallowing of the Danube also led to unexpected finds. In early August, the remains of two German soldiers who died during World War II emerged from under the water in Budapest. An almost perfectly preserved German motorcycle was also found nearby.
The German War Graves Commission reported that along with the remains, identification tags of both soldiers, a wedding ring, and a Wehrmacht insignia were found. Anti-tank mines were also found nearby, so the riverbank area was temporarily closed. The found soldiers are planned to be reburied in the German military cemetery in Budaörs, near Budapest.
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