On 3 August, the Romanian military carried out a series of explosions in the Danube river system. Their aim was to destroy a rock formation that was restricting the flow of water from one of the Danube’s tributaries into the main river. This is the first stage of work designed to increase the volume of water flowing into the Danube.
One of Europe’s major rivers has become severely shallow due to the heatwave and prolonged drought, and additional water is needed to cool the equipment at the Cernavodă nuclear power station and ensure the uninterrupted operation of the reactors. The next step is to construct a diversion dam to regulate the flow of water. As a result, the water level in the Danube is expected to rise by 10–12 centimetres.
At the end of July, one of the two power units at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Station had already been shut down due to a lack of water for cooling. Nuclearelectrica, Romania’s state-owned nuclear power operator, has warned that if the situation does not change, the second reactor will soon have to be shut down as well. To compensate for the energy shortfall, Romania has begun purchasing electricity from Ukraine.