Cernavodă nuclear plant’s water level boosted by Danube barge sinking

Cernavodă nuclear plant Danube barges water level increase reactor operation Radu Miruță

Romanian authorities sank four stone‑laden barges in the Danube on 5 August to divert part of the river’s flow toward the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant. The operation followed a controlled detonation of the Pârjoaia rock that had blocked water delivery. Officials said the sinking, scheduled after 14:00, halted a daily water‑level drop of 2–3 cm and raised the level by about 2 cm, stabilising the river at the plant’s intake.

The rise in water level is expected to extend the operating period of Unit 2 by up to a week, adding two to three extra days of power generation and averting a shutdown that could have occurred on Thursday, according to interim Defence Minister Radu Miruță. Unit 1 remains shut, cutting domestic electricity output by roughly 10 %. Plant manager Romeo Urjan noted that the combined interventions could increase the water level by 10–12 cm, potentially providing several additional days of operation for the reactor.

Entities: Apele Române · Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant · Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant · Danube River · Nuclearelectrica · Pârjoaia rock · Radu Miruta · Romanian Ministry of Defense · Romeo Urjan

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 4 SOURCES] Before the operation the Danube water level was falling by 2–3 cm per day, forecast to reach –233 cm by 9 August. (multiple articles)
[● 6 SOURCES] The operation raised the water level at Cernavodă by about 2 cm. (multiple articles)
[● 4 SOURCES] A controlled detonation of the Pârjoaia rock was carried out to divert Danube flow toward the plant. (multiple articles)
[○ 1 SOURCE] The water‑level increase is expected to extend the operation of Unit 2 by up to a week, adding two to three extra days of power generation. (article 70042d65-1603-4aa9-be8d-9079e725f361)
[● 5 SOURCES] Four barges loaded with stone were sunk in the Danube on 5 August to redirect flow toward the Cernavodă nuclear plant. (multiple articles)
[● 4 SOURCES] Interim Defence Minister Radu Miruță said that without the operation the plant could have entered a shutdown procedure on Thursday. (multiple articles)
[● 4 SOURCES] The sinking operation was scheduled to begin after 14:00 on Wednesday. (multiple articles)
[● 3 SOURCES] Unit 1 of the Cernavodă plant remains shut, reducing domestic electricity output by roughly 10 %. (multiple articles)