Romania may remain without generation from the Cernavoda nuclear power plant until late September as low Danube levels delay restart preparations. Both reactors have been offline since Aug. 13. Unit 1 had already stopped in July before unit 2 was subsequently shut down.
Persistently low Danube levels are limiting the cooling conditions required for a restart. The Energy Ministry plans to reassess the situation after Sept. 15. The timing of Cernavoda’s return is therefore a key factor for Romanian and regional winter power balances.
Nuclear supply gap covered by thermal generation and imports
Coal and gas generation have so far compensated for part of the missing nuclear output. Cross-border imports have also contributed to balancing supply, alongside continued nuclear generation in Hungary and Bulgaria. Expected stronger wind generation could provide additional near-term support.
The Energy Ministry expects peak imports to remain below 2 GW. If the nuclear outage extends further towards winter, the challenge would become more difficult for system balancing. Romania’s summer peak consumption typically reaches around 7.5-8 GW, while winter requirements are substantially higher.
Demand reference points and winter outlook
Demand reached 9.235 GW on Jan. 19, 2026. With each additional week without nuclear generation, more of Romania’s requirement depends on thermal fuel costs, renewable weather conditions and available cross-border capacity. The Energy Ministry’s next reassessment is scheduled after Sept. 15.
