en.Wedoany.com Reported - Emergency diversion measures implemented by Romania on the Danube River have temporarily improved water intake conditions at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant, allowing the plant's only currently operational Unit 2 to continue running for an estimated nine more days.

Romania previously blasted rocky obstacles in the riverbed, dredged the channel, and sank four barges loaded with rocks to form a temporary diversion dike, channeling more river water toward the section of the river where the plant is located. As of August 9, these measures had raised the water level near the plant by approximately 4 centimeters, providing short-term conditions for continued operation of the unit.

The Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant has two nuclear units of approximately 706 megawatts each and normally supplies about 20% of Romania's electricity. Due to severe drought and the Danube's water level dropping to a historic low, Unit 1 was placed under controlled shutdown on July 28, and Unit 2 has since faced a continuous risk of shutdown.

The diversion measures have not yet eliminated this risk. Romania's water resources management authority stated on August 10 that upstream rainfall is expected to be insufficient to significantly improve the country's water conditions, and the water level near the plant may continue to decline until August 16. The authority recommended continued dredging of the plant's water intake channel, and the Romanian government allocated additional funds for riverbed dredging on the same day.