Romania uses reservoir water to raise Danube levels amid nuclear plant concerns

Romania is using water from several reservoirs to raise the level of the Danube, as low water levels could complicate the cooling of the Cernavodă nuclear power plant.

According to Antena 3, the Danube’s water level stood at minus 259 centimetres on Saturday, just three centimetres above the threshold at which pumping cooling water to the plant could become problematic.

To raise the river’s level, water will be released from the Izbiceni, Mihăilești and Iezerul reservoirs in southern Romania.

In August, extreme heat and drought caused a sharp drop in the Danube’s water level, forcing Romania to shut down its only nuclear power plant completely.

The low water level in the Danube, Europe’s second-longest river, has also severely disrupted navigation along its 2,850-kilometre course, which stretches from western Germany to its mouth on the Black Sea.

Image: George Calin / Reuters

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• Danube