Romania Approves Emergency Water Supply Project for Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant, Adding 6.5 Cubic Meters per Second Pumping Capacity

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 9, Romania officially published National Emergency Committee Decision No. 24/2026, approving phased emergency water supply measures at the water intake channel of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant. The plan includes building a temporary water-retaining structure approximately 170 meters long using ballast barges and pontoons, and deploying high-capacity pumps to provide at least 6.5 cubic meters per second of additional water flow to the nuclear power plant's distribution reservoir. On October 11, operator Nuclearelectrica confirmed that Units 1 and 2 of the nuclear power plant remain in a safe shutdown state and will be restarted after the Danube River water level meets the requirements for safe resumption of operation.

The decision was adopted on October 8 and published in Romania's Official Gazette on October 9. The temporary facilities will be deployed in the water diversion channel leading to the nuclear power plant, using a modular, removable phased construction plan. The emergency management department is responsible for providing mobile pumps. The Romanian National Water Administration, together with Nuclearelectrica, the navigation channel management authority, and the national defense department, will undertake equipment operation and maintenance work. The nuclear power plant is responsible for providing fuel for the relevant equipment.

When the monitored water level at Cernavodă drops to the corresponding navigation control threshold, the competent authorities will restrict or suspend vessel navigation and lock operations on the Danube–Black Sea Canal and affected sections of the Danube River. The emergency arrangements also include continuing dredging work on the relevant river sections and coordinating upstream hydropower stations to increase discharge flows into the Danube River based on available reservoir water volume and operating conditions.

On October 10, monitoring data published by the Romanian National Water Administration showed that the Danube River water level near Cernavodă dropped to -259 centimeters, only 3 centimeters away from the -262 centimeter operational threshold for the nuclear power plant's cooling water intake. The Danube River inflow dropped to below 1,200 cubic meters per second, approximately one-third of the multi-year average for the same period. Romania had previously extended the national energy emergency alert status until October 28, and competent authorities expect critical low water levels may still occur from October 15 to 22.

Nuclearelectrica confirmed that during the shutdown period, the nuclear power plant continues to use multiple redundant cooling systems and has assigned dedicated technical teams to carry out safety procedures and maintenance work. The company will restart the units after the river water level recovers to conditions that meet safe operation requirements, and the grid reconnection time will be announced separately.