Romania’s Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant will remain shutdown throughout November because of critically low water levels on the Danube, increasing reliance on electricity imports and putting further pressure on wholesale power prices.
Reactor unit 1 was disconnected from the national grid on 28 July, followed by unit 2 on 13 August. The shutdowns were carried out in accordance with nuclear safety procedures and do not pose a risk to the population or the environment, Romania’s National Commission for Nuclear Activities Control has stressed.
Emergency measures implemented since the summer, including military operations using explosives to clear riverbed rock formations and redirect water flow, have failed to stabilise the plant’s intake.
The National Committee for Emergency Situations has extended the energy sector’s state of alert by another 30 days, following a decision published in the Official State Gazette. The measure means that neither of the plant’s two reactors will be able to resume operations during November, despite earlier expectations that at least one could restart around mid-month.
The decision reflects the continuing risk of an electricity supply crisis, particularly during peak consumption hours, when Romania lacks sufficient generation and reserve capacity to balance its national grid. The Energy Ministry said that the low water levels would persist in the particularly vulnerable section of the Danube near Cernavoda between 25 October and 25 November.
Cernavoda owner-operator SN Nuclearelectrica (SNN) said the plant remains, “currently, safely shut down against a backdrop of forecasts that are still volatile and unsustainable”. Units 1&2 are being kept in a safe shutdown state, in accordance with nuclear safety regulations and standards. This situation poses no risk to nuclear safety.
SNN stated that a rise of approximately 10cm in the water level measured in the pump intake basin at Cernavodă has recently been achieved, as a result of the rise in the level of the Danube. “This is a localised rise, which is not, as yet, accompanied by a general rise across the entire Danube River basin upstream of Cernavodă. This development is positive and reflects a current improvement in hydrological conditions compared with previous days.”
However, “current forecasts do not indicate that all the criteria required to make the decision to reconnect at least one of the units will be met”. The water level in the power station’s intake basin remains below the threshold considered necessary for the reconnection of one or both units. The level required for the safe reconnection of the units must be maintained over a period of several days and must show an upward trend.
“Once we reach the level required for the safe reconnection and operation of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Station, we will request, as a matter of priority, that the plant be connected to the National Energy System,” said SNN CEO Mihai Gioară. “At present, against the backdrop of a volatile, as yet unsustainable rise in the water level in the intake basin, we are acting strictly in accordance with the applicable operating procedures of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant. Nuclear safety and the safety of the plant are Nuclearelectrica’s absolute priorities.”
The river’s flow remains well below the level required for the safe operation of the reactors, which use Danube water for cooling. Specialists forecast that the flow will reach around 1,550 cubic metres per second next week, while at least 4,900 cubic metres per second is needed to allow the reactors to restart.
Bulgaria has become the main source of additional electricity imports. Romania imported more than 0.5 terawatt-hours (TWh) of net electricity during October, compared with less than 0.1 TWh in October 2025. The country also increased its net imports from Ukraine, while imports from Hungary remained below last year’s level.
The situation exposes a structural vulnerability in Romania’s energy system. Cernavoda normally generates around 20% of its electricity, making the simultaneous loss of both reactors particularly difficult to compensate for. The impact is compounded by the reduced availability of hydropower during the drought and lower solar generation as winter approaches.
