Romania is preparing to return both Cernavoda nuclear units to operation by 11 November, rebuilding domestic power supply ahead of winter. Their return matters to the regional electricity balance as colder weather lifts consumption.
Nuclearelectrica began restarting Unit 2 shortly after midnight on 9 November. The unit was scheduled to return on 10 November if the restart progressed as planned, while Unit 1 reconnected to the grid on 6 November and was being gradually ramped toward full output.
The reactors normally provide about 20% of Romania’s electricity supply. Their return should increase domestic baseload supply, reduce reliance on imports during higher-demand periods and ease some pressure that has contributed to strong Romanian day-ahead prices relative to neighboring SEE markets.
The outages followed summer drought conditions and insufficient Danube water for cooling. Unit 1 went offline in late July, followed by Unit 2 on 13 August, temporarily leaving Romania without generation from either of its operating nuclear reactors.
