The Romanian Ministry of Defense reported controlled explosions on the river to increase the flow of the Danube and ensure the operation of the Cernavoda nuclear power plant, UNN writes, citing Libertatea.
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On Monday, August 3, the Romanian army resumed blasting on the Danube, trying to direct the water flow to the Cernavoda nuclear power plant. The Parjoaia rock was controlledly detonated with 100 kilograms of explosives after Sunday's operations failed.
It is reported that part of the rock was destroyed.
Thus, the army is trying to change the main riverbed towards the NPP in Cernavoda. On Monday, the military was to use twice as much explosives compared to the previous day, as announced by Rear Admiral Marcel Neculae, deputy chief of staff of the country's Naval Forces.
The Romanian Ministry of National Defense (MApN) launched a large-scale operation on the Danube to ensure water supply for reactor No. 2 of the Cernavoda NPP amid a sharp drop in the river level. It began on Sunday, but the first attempt to blow up the Parjoaia rock, necessary to change the Danube's course, failed.
"We conducted the first explosion on the surface to see how the rock would react, after which there was a second explosion. We expected to move the Parjoaia rock. That did not happen. (...) I am convinced that tomorrow (Monday - ed.) we will succeed in destroying this rock," Rear Admiral Marcel Neculae, deputy chief of staff of the Romanian Navy, said on Sunday.
Three controlled explosions were planned, each using a powerful charge to redirect the flow of the Bala branch to the Old Danube to supply water to the Cernavoda power plant, Romanian Defense Ministry officials said shortly after the first tests.
The operation to change the Danube's course will be divided into two stages. The first stage involves blasting the Parjoaia rock, located on the Bala branch. Subsequently, four barges loaded with stone, each 70 meters long and three meters high, will be sunk to reduce the water flow on this branch and redirect it to the Old Danube.
According to data from the National Institute of Hydrology and Water Management (INHGA), cited by Agerpres, the Danube's flow at the entrance to Romania, in the Bazias area, will drop to 1,400 cubic meters per second in the coming days, which corresponds to the historical minimum recorded in 1985.
The level will remain unchanged until August 9, significantly below the multi-year average for August, which was 3,900 cubic meters per second. Downstream from the Iron Gates, the flow will decrease slightly.
The National Administration of Romanian Waters (ANAR) emphasized that the intervention represents a high degree of complexity due to the extremely low level of the Danube. "The operation is particularly complex and involves the construction of a diversion dam to concentrate flows towards the Cernavoda sector. The main problem is the extremely low level of the Danube, which may prevent achieving the desired hydraulic effect," an ANAR press release states.
The Danube has reached its lowest level in the last three decades
The Danube's level has reached alarmingly low levels both in Romania and in neighboring countries such as Hungary and Serbia. Data from the National Administration of Romanian Waters shows that the flow at the country's entrance on Sunday reached 1,600 cubic meters per second, with a downward trend to 1,450 cubic meters per second by the end of the week.
In Hungary, this situation even led to the shutdown of the Paks nuclear power plant, which had been operating for over 40 years, due to a lack of cooling water.
"The forecast for the next 10 days indicates quasi-stationarity, even with a downward trend. We are approaching historical minimum values over the last three decades," said Sorin Rindasu, deputy general director of ANAR, as reported by Mediafax.
The drop in the Danube's level poses a serious threat to energy production in Romania, especially for the operation of Unit 2 of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant, the only unit currently in operation. The government has analyzed several technical solutions, including the construction of diversion dams to redirect part of the water to the Old Danube and, indirectly, to the reactor area.
Romania is on alert in August due to the energy crisis
On Friday, interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced the establishment of a nationwide state of alert for August due to a reduction in electricity production caused by drought and decreased river flow, especially on the Danube.
"We declared a state of alert at the national level for August due to the reduction in electricity production caused by drought and low river flow, especially on the Danube," said Bolojan, who also serves as acting Minister of Energy.