Romania blasts rocks to reroute cooling Danube water to nuclear reactor
The blast is meant to clear a channel for a temporary dam that would send more Danube water to the reactor, officials said.
- On Monday, Romania's navy detonated a rock outcrop in the drought-hit Danube to redirect vital cooling water toward its Cernavoda nuclear reactor, a controlled explosion aimed at sustaining the facility's operations.
- Record-Low water levels in the drought-hit Danube forced both Romania and Hungary to operate nuclear facilities at severely limited capacity, as heatwave conditions strained regional power grids and both nations rely on the river for essential cooling systems.
- Hungary's 2-gigawatt Paks plant, normally generating half the nation's electricity, ran at just over 10% capacity on Monday, with Prime Minister Peter Magyar stating, "Today, and maybe tomorrow the last turbine producing 240 megawatts can keep working."
- To ease grid pressure, Romanian industrial leaders including Renault-owned Dacia and Ford suspended production until August 19, while pharmaceutical company Richter committed to reducing electricity consumption by more than 50% over three weeks.
- Romanian Defence Minister Radu Miruta said, "Any day past Wednesday or Thursday that the nuclear power plant functions is a gain," as the water diversion operation is expected to conclude on Wednesday.
126 Articles
126 Articles
Romania's nuclear power plants are in trouble because the water level in the Danube is exceptionally low.
Romania’s navy detonates part of Danube river to cool nuclear plant
Romanian naval forces blew up part of the drought-hit Danube river to channel water towards a nuclear plant. The Danube has fallen to record lows after successive European heatwaves, wreaking havoc on both Romanian and Hungarian reactors that rely on the river for coolant. At Hungary’s Paks plant, responsible for half of the country’s power generation, capacity has been reduced to just 10% of normal output, underscoring the scale of the crisis. …
The moment explosion goes off to redirect water into the Danube
Romania’s military used 180 kilograms of explosives to blast rock near the lower Danube’s Bala Canal in an effort to redirect water into the river’s main channel and toward the state-owned Cernavoda nuclear power plant.
Danube water is crucial for cooling the thermal cycle of the plant that generates 20% of the electricity in the country
Romania uses explosives to redirect water into the Danube
Romania’s military on Monday used 180 kilograms of explosives to blast rock near the lower Danube’s Bala Canal in an effort to redirect water into the river’s main channel and toward the Cernavoda nuclear power plant.
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