Romania will shut Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant's Unit 1 after the Danube River's flow dropped to about 1,630 cubic meters per second, the Energy Ministry said Wednesday.
Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan, who also serves as interim energy minister, convened an emergency meeting at the National Energy Dispatcher to review conditions across the National Energy System after the river's flow declined, the ministry said.
Cernavoda will take Unit 1 offline at 11:00 a.m. Thursday as a precaution to protect equipment linked to its three cooling pumps. The operator said a pump failure could trigger repairs lasting several months or even up to a year, the ministry said.
Romania expects electricity demand to peak at about 7,300 megawatts this week, roughly 700 MW below recent highs because of the holiday season. Domestic generation should range between 4,000 MW and 4,300 MW, with commercial imports covering the remaining demand, the ministry said.
The ministry said commercial electricity imports will fully bridge the supply gap without jeopardizing system reliability. It added household consumers will keep paying fixed electricity prices under their existing annual contracts.
Romania has completed documentation for 324 MW of new generation capacity, which should enter commercial operation after the Energy Regulatory Authority validates the projects Thursday, according to the ministry.
The ministry said the additions include 176 MW of storage and 148 MW of solar and wind capacity, while another 990 MW of projects remain in various stages of documentation.
The ministry added that energy institutions and market operators continue to monitor production and market conditions closely and stand ready to take further steps to preserve the National Energy System's stability and security.