Romania’s National Committee for Emergency Situations has extended the state of alert concerning the Cernavodă nuclear power plant by another 30 days. The decision was published in the Official Gazette on Wednesday, October 28, the Energy Ministry announced, as reported by Agerpres.
The extension was prompted by persistently low Danube water levels at the river’s entry into Romania and the inability to restart the plant’s two reactors during November.
The authorities also warned that insufficient power and energy reserves could trigger an electricity supply crisis during peak consumption periods.
“Transelectrica will take all necessary measures to ensure the operation of the national power system, including increasing production from all available sources, securing imports, or reducing consumption,” the Energy Ministry said.
Emergency works and other measures introduced to maintain the water flows and levels required by the nuclear plant will remain in place throughout the alert.
Central and local public institutions may provide additional support depending on how the operational situation develops and what needs emerge during the implementation of the measures, the same source said.
Cernavodă’s Unit 1 was shut down in a controlled procedure on July 28 due to severe drought. Then, Unit 2 was taken offline for the same reason on August 13.
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