Danube Drought Forces Romania to Revive Coal Power

The restart of the Rovinari Group 4 unit provides a temporary buffer after the Cernavoda plant, which supplies 20% of the country’s electricity, went offline. State Secretary Cristian Bușoi confirmed the coal unit is now feeding the grid to compensate for the loss of both reactors, each boasting 680 MW of capacity. Nuclearelectrica began disconnecting the second reactor on August 13, following the initial shutdown of the first unit in late July.

Plant director Romeo Urjan signaled that a restart remains unlikely within the next ten days as the river reaches its lowest levels in 90 years. This crisis extends beyond Romanian borders; Hungary has resorted to sinking barges in the Danube to maintain water access for its Paks nuclear plant. With temperatures remaining high, the region faces a precarious balance between maintaining grid stability and managing the environmental impact of returning to fossil-fuel generation.