Romania has taken an unprecedented step to divert water from the largely dry Danube to cool the country’s only nuclear reactor, blasting out a rock outcrop. The rock blasting underscores the scale of the energy crisis looming over the region. Romania’s state-owned nuclear power producer Nuclearelectrica normally produces about a fifth of the country’s electricity, but it shut down one of its two reactors last week when the water level in the Danube dropped. The rock blasting will allow the construction of a temporary dam to divert more water into a channel that carries water to cool the reactor. The work is expected to be completed by August 5. Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruta said that every day of operation at the plant was worth more than the cost of the blasting operation.
The Old Danube River serves as a crucial water source for the Cernavoda nuclear power plant. This facility requires a consistent and adequate water supply to manage its cooling systems and generate electricity. With river levels hitting record lows, the plant faced significant operational risks, prompting the government to take aggressive action through the military's involvement.
The explosive measures are a critical component of broader efforts to address the hydrological crisis in the Danube region. These actions include managing dam operations and enforcing water-sharing agreements with neighboring countries. However, despite these coordinated plans, the area continues to suffer from the worst drought in years, and water shortages remain a pressing concern. In neighboring Hungary, authorities said they would try to generate electricity from the Paks nuclear power plant for two more days. It also uses water from the Danube for cooling. Upstream, in Hungary, the Paks NPP could continue to operate at reduced capacity on Tuesday. Paks normally produces about half of the country’s electricity, and on Monday, when the Danube’s water level fell to a record low, it was operating at just 10% of its capacity. Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said the plant might be able to continue operating on the 4th of August, saying it was good news that it had avoided a complete shutdown on peak days. He added that the water level forecast for the coming days was a bit more optimistic. Magyar said that demand had fallen by 700 megawatts on Sunday, following a government call for voluntary cuts in electricity consumption, significantly easing pressure on the grid.
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