Romania has asked European authorities to assess the emergency support available from neighboring countries as it prepares for the possible shutdown of Cernavoda’s second nuclear reactor, according to local media on Wednesday.
The government is also seeking European Commission approval to keep four coal-fired units available after August, including Turceni Unit 5, which is due to close Aug. 31 under Romania’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan, according to Romanian news website Romania-Insider.
Energy Ministry Secretary of State Cristian Busoi said Romania issued an “early warning” Aug. 7 and notified the European Commission on Aug. 10 that it was facing an electricity crisis under Article 14(2) of the EU’s electricity risk-preparedness regulation.
Busoi presented the country’s situation at an Aug. 11 meeting of the European Commission’s Electricity Coordination Group, focusing on the imminent shutdown of Cernavoda Unit 2 and measures adopted by the government to manage the situation.
Romania asked the Commission and the European Network of Transmission System Operators for Electricity, known as ENTSO-E, to conduct an updated regional assessment.
The assessment would cover available generating capacity, balancing reserves, cross-border interconnection capacity and the ability of neighboring electricity systems to provide support if regional conditions deteriorate further.
Busoi said closing Turceni Unit 5 on Aug. 31 would be “extremely problematic” and that Romania would continue seeking Commission approval to keep four coal-fired units available after August.
He said three operating units, along with the reserve Rovinari Unit 4, could provide nearly 900 MW of net lignite-fired capacity if Cernavoda Unit 2 is shut down.
On Tuesday, Romania’s nuclear power operator Nuclearelectrica announced that Unit 2, the remaining operating reactor at the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant, could be shut down amid critically low levels of the Danube, broadcaster Digi24 reported.
Nuclearelectrica said Unit 2 could be shut down in a controlled manner on the morning of Aug. 13 due to the continued decline in the Danube’s water level.
Unit 1 of the Cernavoda plant was shut down in a controlled manner on July 28 because of the exceptionally low Danube level caused by severe drought and has remained offline.
By Handan Kazanci
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr