Romania sinks 4 barges to save nuclear plant's second reactor

Romania began sinking four rock-laden barges into the Danube River on August 6, 2026, in an urgent effort to redirect water toward the Cernavoda nuclear power plant and prevent its second reactor from shutting down. The operation aims to raise water levels at the plant’s intake, buying additional days of operation amid a severe drought that has pushed the river to record lows.

The state-owned Cernavoda plant, which normally supplies about 20% of Romania’s electricity, was forced to take one reactor offline last week due to insufficient cooling water. The remaining reactor now faces a similar fate, with plant director Romeo Urjan telling Digi24 that without intervention, it would likely need to be shut down in five to six days. The Danube’s flow has plummeted to 1,400 cubic meters per second—less than a third of the seasonal average and the lowest in decades.

The emergency measure involves four barges loaded with rock that the military blasted from the riverbed near the Bala Canal earlier this week. Once submerged, the barges will form an underwater barrier designed to channel more water down the main branch of the Danube toward the plant, located roughly 60 kilometers downstream. Urjan estimated that if the barges succeed in delivering surplus water, the reactor could operate for nine to ten more days from August 6, though the effect would take about a day to reach the facility.

Acting Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan declared a nationwide energy-sector state of alert on July 31 and on August 6 again appealed to citizens and local authorities to voluntarily curb electricity use during peak evening hours. He said the barge-sinking work would likely continue through August 7 and that the measures are designed to maintain sufficient flow so the second reactor can run “at maximum capacity.” Bolojan warned that a complete shutdown of Cernavoda could lead to energy shortfalls, with the ability to import power during peak times depending on neighboring countries, many of which are also grappling with drought-related outages.

The crisis extends beyond Romania. In Hungary, record-low Danube levels have brought the country’s sole nuclear plant close to a full shutdown for the first time in decades, while Moldova, which relies heavily on imported electricity including from Romania, has urged voluntary consumption cuts during peak hours. Romanian authorities have also implemented dredging and other emergency actions since the first reactor went offline.