Romania rushes to sink 4 barges in the Danube to keep a nuclear power plant’s second reactor running
Summary
Romania is sinking four barges filled with rocks into the Danube River to redirect water flow toward the Cernavoda nuclear power plant. This is a temporary effort to keep the plant’s second reactor running amid record-low water levels caused by heatwaves and low rainfall.Key Facts
- The Danube River is at record low levels because of extreme heat and little rain.
- Romania’s Cernavoda nuclear plant uses river water to cool its reactors and produces about 20% of the country’s electricity.
- One reactor at Cernavoda already shut down last week due to the low water levels.
- Romania’s military blasted rocks from the riverbed and loaded them onto barges.
- The barges will be sunk near the Bala Canal to create an underwater barrier that redirects water toward the power plant.
- The plant’s director said this could extend the second reactor’s operation from 5-6 days to about 9-10 days.
- It takes about a day for the effect of the submerged barges to reach the plant, which is 60 km downstream.
- Romania declared a state of alert for energy on July 31 and asked people to save electricity during peak hours to avoid power shortages.
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