Reactor No. 1 at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant was shut down in a controlled manner on Tuesday, July 28, at 11:00 a.m. due to very low water levels in the Danube, in order to protect the facilities. The Romanian nuclear power company Nuclearelectrica warned that if the situation worsens, Reactor No. 2 may also be shut down, according to Digi24.
The decision to shut down the reactor was made based on procedures applied during severe drought conditions, according to the latest forecasts published by the National Institute of Hydrology and Water Management (INHGA).
According to Nuclearelectrica, the reactor will be reconnected to the National Power Grid once operating conditions allow for its restart.
According to the Romanian Ministry of Energy, the Danube’s flow rate has dropped to approximately 1,630 cubic meters per second, and the decision to shut down Reactor No. 1 was made to protect the three cooling pumps.
“This measure is preventive in nature and is necessary to protect the equipment associated with the three cooling pumps. A potential failure of one of the pumps would require complex repair work that would last several months and could even take up to a year,” the Ministry of Energy stated.
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