Romania Restarts Unit 4 of Rovinari Thermal Power Plant Amid Heatwave and Drought

en.Wedoany.com Reported - Dimension Network News, August 17 — Romania's Ministry of Energy announced the restart of Unit 4 at the Rovinari thermal power plant, adding approximately 300 MW of capacity to the national grid. The unit was synchronized to the grid that evening, aiming to address peak electricity demand caused by the ongoing heatwave, as well as the supply gap left by the shutdown of Unit 2 at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant due to low water levels in the Danube River.

Cristian Bușoi, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Energy, stated that evening peak demand was expected to approach 7,000 MW. With Unit 4 transitioning from standby to operational status, priority would be given to securing evening peak supply, thereby reducing electricity imports and stabilizing wholesale prices. Bușoi confirmed that the plant's coal inventory could support at least one week of generation, and that recently retired technical personnel had been temporarily rehired to fill staffing gaps.

Located in Gorj County, the Rovinari thermal power plant is one of Romania's most important coal-fired generation bases, with a total installed capacity of approximately 1.5 GW, operated by CE Oltenia. Unit 4 was placed into standby status in April 2024 as part of Romania's coal phase-out plan. That plan commits to withdrawing coal-fired generation from the commercial market by 2026, retaining it only as strategic reserve. This restart signals that the country's coal phase-out process has encountered practical resistance — the conflict between extreme weather and grid reliability has forced a temporary policy concession.

Unit 2 of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant was shut down on August 14 due to low Danube water levels affecting cooling water supply. Bușoi stated that it is "highly unlikely" the unit will resume operation within the next 10 days, during which the grid will rely on thermal power and electricity imports to maintain balance. Over the past weekend, Romania's peak demand remained below 6,000 MW, but with the heatwave persisting this week, demand is expected to rise further.

Romania is accelerating dredging works on the Danube to improve cooling water intake conditions for the nuclear power plant. However, this restart also highlights a key contradiction in the energy transition: as the penetration of renewable energy increases, the impact of extreme climate events on hydropower and nuclear power is prompting countries to reassess the role of "standby thermal power" in grid security.