Cernavodă nuclear plant may see one reactor back online by mid-November

The Cernavodă nuclear facility halted both of its reactors earlier this year after the Danube’s water level dropped too low for safe cooling. Unit 1 was taken offline in late July and Unit 2 in August. Minister of Energy Dumitru Chisăliță told Digi24 that, provided current river-flow projections remain stable, one reactor could be brought back into service around mid-November.

He said the Danube’s flow has risen noticeably over the past two weeks but still does not permit a restart at present. The minister described the two-week window as realistic, while cautioning that any shift in forecasts might push the date back. He also outlined water-supplementation projects launched this summer, such as diverting part of the Danube to the Bala branch, which have yet to deliver the needed cooling water. Chisăliță plans to visit Cernavodă this week to assess the situation on site.