Romania Shuts Cernavodă Nuclear Plant as Danube Water Levels Plummet

Romania’s sole nuclear power station, Cernavodă, was forced to shut its second 706‑megawatt reactor after the Danube River sank to its lowest water levels in three decades. The plant operator confirmed that the reactor would remain offline for at least the next ten days.

With two-thirds of the country's electricity produced by the two reactors at Cernavodă, the outage will now be compensated by imports and a surge in gas‑fired generation during the evening, while solar and wind output will help cover the shortfall on hot days.

Hungary’s Paks nuclear plant has avoided shutdown so far, but officials warn that low river flow could threaten its operations as well. The European Commission has warned that rising temperatures and drought could dent the region’s economic growth.

This incident underscores the growing vulnerability of Europe’s energy infrastructure to climate‑driven changes, as low river levels reduce hydro‑power output, tighten water management, and strain the power grid.