Overview
- Romanian energy officials confirmed late Thursday that the remaining operating reactor at the Cernavoda nuclear plant was stopped because the Danube’s flow fell to roughly 40% of normal, leaving insufficient cooling water.
- Cernavoda supplied about one‑fifth of Romania’s electricity before the outages, so the twin reactor shutdowns significantly tighten national supply planning.
- The Energy Ministry says lost nuclear generation will be covered by imports and by domestic sources such as hydropower and wind, and it maintains there is no immediate risk of blackouts.
- A single Cernavoda reactor was already taken offline in late July for the same water‑shortage reason, prompting government appeals for businesses and households to cut consumption.
- Beyond the immediate impact on supply, the shutdowns highlight how drought and low river flows can force water‑cooled power plants offline and could raise imports, pressure prices, and increase the need for demand management in future heatwaves.