Romania will mainly focus on importing electricity after the shutdown of the “Cherna Voda“ NPP due to the low flow of the Danube River caused by the drought, writes the “Adeverul“ newspaper, quoting the State Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Cristian Busoi, BTA reported.
Today at 07:00, the Romanian authorities began a controlled shutdown of the second unit of the “Cherna Voda“ nuclear power plant due to the low level of the Danube waters, which are used to cool the turbines. At the end of July, the first reactor of the plant was also shut down for the same reasons.
The State Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Cristian Busoi, stated in an interview with the newspaper "Adeverul" that the amount of 680-700 megawatts, which are normally produced by the second reactor of the nuclear power plant, will be replaced in the coming period by various sources - imports and wind energy, and if necessary - also by hydropower reserves.
The "Cherna Voda" nuclear power plant has two reactors with a capacity of 700 megawatts each. The plant provides about 20 percent of the electricity production in Romania. The operator of the plant, the national company "Nuclearelectrica", announced today in a statement to the Bucharest Stock Exchange that the decision to control the shutdown of a second reactor was dictated by the continuing significant decrease in the level of the Danube River.
"Depending on the development of the forecasts for the level of the Danube, the specialists from the "Black Water" NPP will make a decision to restart the nuclear units, with nuclear safety as a priority," the operator company indicated. According to data from "Nuclearelectrica" maintaining both units in a safe shutdown state does not affect nuclear safety parameters, including the safety of personnel, the environment and the population, Agerpress reported.
According to the forecast of the National Institute of Hydrology and Water Management for the period 12-19 August, the flow rate of the Danube when it enters Romania will be in the order of 1350-1400 cubic meters per second, which is below the multi-year average for August of 3900 cubic meters per second. Digi 24 TV notes that it is currently unclear how long the nuclear power plant will be out of operation.
The Ministry of Energy announced last night that the national electricity system has several resources to cover the production deficit resulting from the shutdown of a second reactor, Agerpress reported.
The ministry reminded that the national electricity system has a high cross-border capacity – about 4,000 MW, which allows for electricity imports.
All transmission network and system operators in Europe are aware of the regional energy crisis situation and are coordinating their actions to ensure the security of electricity supply for all affected energy systems in the face of weather conditions, the Romanian Ministry of Energy said.
The State Secretary at the ministry, Cristian Busoi, told the "Adeverul" newspaper that Romania is currently using a large amount of wind energy. Wind electricity production could reach a maximum of about 1,500 MW, with an estimated average of 500-600 MW, Busoi told the publication.
According to him, if imports and wind energy are not enough, the authorities also have other capacities at their disposal. Next week, the fourth unit of the Rovinari TPP is scheduled to be launched, with a capacity of about 300 MW, and the shortfall can be covered by hydroelectric reserves, the representative of the Ministry of Energy said.
“This will be decided by the specialists of the National Energy Dispatcher, if necessary, if the quantities of imports are not sufficient, if we have lower wind energy production“, Busoi explained to “Adeverul“.
When asked whether Romania risks being left without sources of electricity imports, given that Bulgaria is also facing problems at the “Kozloduy“ nuclear power plant, the state secretary ruled out such a scenario, the newspaper writes.
Cristian Busoi said that Romania participated in a coordination meeting with EU countries and representatives of the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity (ENTSO-E), where the forecasts for the region were analyzed.
„We have reviewed all the forecasts, there are no problems in the region for the coming days and weeks“, said the State Secretary at the Ministry of Energy.
According to him, the Bulgarian NPP „Kozloduy“ is safe and at this moment there is no prospect of an imminent shutdown.
“Adeverul“ recalls that the Bulgarian nuclear power plant produces about 2000 MW, which is an important component for balancing the regional electricity system.
Due to the drop in electricity production caused by the drought and low river levels, Romania declared an emergency in the energy sector for the entire month of August.
The authorities took a series of measures to ensure the continuation of the operation of the “Cherna Voda“ nuclear power plant, but without success. In order to increase the river flow to the plant, a rock formation was blown up and four barges loaded with stones were sunk in order to create an artificial threshold in the river and increase the flow in the “Old Danube“ arm in the area of the plant. The government has also allocated millions of lei to deepen the riverbed, but the measures have not yielded the desired results.
The government has also approved a scheme to limit electricity consumption by large industrial consumers. According to the plan, the electricity transmission company "Transelectrica" will be able to notify large customers with 24-hour notice that their consumption is about to be limited and, in certain situations, it will be able to notify some companies that they will be disconnected from the system.
Interim Prime Minister Ilie Bologian clarified that households, hospitals and other key institutions will not be subject to such restrictions.
The Ministry of Energy also reiterated its call for responsible consumption, especially between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m., in order to reduce the load on the system during peak hours.