Romania’s Cernavoda nuclear plant extends outage amid low Danube levels

The outage at Romania's 1.3 GW Cernavoda nuclear power plant has been extended through Oct. 25, according to transparency data, further relying on imports from the region amid curtailed nuclear generation due to historically low Danube water levels.

The extension would bring cumulative generation losses linked to low Danube levels to 2.54 TWh, according to calculations by Platts, part of S&P Global Energy.

Romania continues to rely primarily on imports to offset the decline in nuclear output. Net imports from Bulgaria reached 400 GWh in October to date, compared with 100 GWh for the full month of October last year.

Romania also recorded around 100 GWh of net imports from Ukraine in October to date, compared with around 100 GWh of net exports for the full month of October last year.

Danube water levels at Cernavoda were last reported at 185 cm, about 90 cm below the Danube Commission's minimum acceptable low-water level of 275 cm and 1,015 cm below its maximum acceptable high-water level of 1,200 cm.

Romania's Cernavodă nuclear power station could resume electricity generation in November following prolonged shutdowns caused by low Danube water levels, according to updated production forecasts from operator Nuclearelectrica.

Nuclearelectrica expects both reactor units to reconnect to the national electricity grid from Nov. 1, based on long-term hydrological forecasts.

Mintia turbine starts testing

Gas Turbine 1 at Romania's Mintia combined-cycle gas-fired power plant was synchronized with the national power system for the first time Oct. 15, marking the start of grid-connected testing, transmission system operator Transelectrica said.

The turbine was connected to the grid during two periods on the first day of testing, and reached a maximum gross output of 135 MW at the generator terminals.

The next production test is scheduled for Oct. 19, followed by three weeks of daily testing, Transelectrica said. Testing will take place during evening periods so that the plant's output coincides with peak electricity demand.

Transelectrica and project developer MASS Global have agreed to coordinate the testing program with the operating requirements of Romania's national power system, the transmission system operator said.

The tests come amid challenging operating conditions in Romania's power system, including the unavailability of generation capacity at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant. Transelectrica said the planned output from Mintia would support system stability and be used during periods of high electricity demand.

Technical adjustments to the turbine's systems and subsystems will continue to optimize operating parameters during the commissioning process.

More than 1,000 MW targeted for integration

Gas Turbine 1 has an installed capacity of 575 MW. Testing of Gas Turbine 2, which also has an installed capacity of 575 MW, is scheduled to begin in mid-December.

More than 1,000 MW of generating capacity from the Mintia plant is expected to be integrated into Romania's national power system by the end of 2026, according to the estimated commissioning schedule.

The project has a total installed capacity of 1,700 MW and is being developed by MASS Global on the site of a former coal-fired power plant.