Romania Shuts Down Its Sole Nuclear Plant Amid Danube Water Level Drop

Romania has completely shut down its sole nuclear power plant due to a sharp decline in the Danube River’s water level — the first full closure of the facility since the 2003 heatwave. The government announced on Wednesday its decision to halt operations after record-breaking summer heat and widespread rainfall deficits across Europe severely lowered the river’s flow, compromising the plant’s ability to cool its reactors using Danube water.

Energy Ministry Response and Replacement Supply

In a statement, Romania’s Ministry of Energy confirmed that alternative sources — primarily wind power and electricity imports — will meet national demand during the shutdown. Officials reiterated calls for “responsible consumption” but did not specify a date for resuming operations at the plant.

Plant Capacity and Prior Partial Shutdown

The plant normally supplies approximately one-fifth of Romania’s total electricity. At the end of last month, one of its two reactors — each with a capacity of 700 megawatts — was already taken offline. A second reactor was expected to follow, but dredging operations and other interventions aimed at redirecting additional Danube water toward the site delayed that step.

Engineering Measures to Redirect River Flow

Efforts to secure sufficient cooling water, funded with over two million euros, included blasting a rock formation and deliberately sinking four stone-laden barges into the Danube to alter the river’s course. These measures were intended to increase water volume accessible to the plant’s intake infrastructure.

Hungary’s Parallel Situation at Paks

In neighbouring Hungary, authorities have so far avoided a full shutdown of the Paks nuclear power plant — which also relies on Danube water for cooling. However, with continued low river levels anticipated, Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Márki-Zay announced on Wednesday that the government has ordered construction of a submerged barrier near the Paks facility.

Paks Output and Recent Operational Adjustments

The Paks plant, housing four nuclear reactors, typically provides about one-third of Hungary’s electricity. Since late last month, its output has been partially reduced. Scientists from the World Weather Attribution group concluded in a recently published study that climate change — driven chiefly by ongoing combustion of oil, coal, and gas — is intensifying the current drought.

Climate Experts Warn of Escalating Risks

Experts caution that such operational disruptions will worsen under global warming, which contributes to longer and more severe dry periods. According to an analysis released Monday by the European Copernicus Climate Change Service, water levels along roughly two-thirds of the Danube fell at unprecedented rates for July — the steepest decline recorded in that month over 34 years of observational data.