Blasting rock on the Danube yields results: water level near Cernavodă NPP rises (Updated)

Water level in the Danube near the Romanian Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant has risen by 2 cm after blasting the underwater rock. This will allow the operation of the station's second power unit to continue for at least two more days.

The first results of the operation were reported on the morning of August 4 by Romania's acting Minister of Defense Radu Miruță.

According to him, the water level near the NPP increased by 2 cm over the 24 hours, although the forecast predicted a decrease of the same amount. Thus, the actual effect of the work performed is at least 4 cm compared to the expected level.

"Good news: at the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant, the water level has increased by 2 cm compared to the previous day. Given that the forecast indicated a drop of 2 cm, it can be said that yesterday's operation yielded a net increase of at least 4 cm, which means two more days of operation in addition to the stages already passed," wrote Miruță.

Romanian troops blast rock to redirect the flow

On August 3, Romanian troops blasted the underwater rock Pârjoaia in the area of the Bala branch. The aim of the operation was to redirect more water to the Old Danube, from which the cooling system of the Cernavodă NPP takes water.

During the main blast, 150 kg of explosives were used. Another 30 kg were deployed in two previous attempts. In total, the military used 180 kg of explosives, which were placed underwater by divers from the ordnance disposal group. The scale of the operation was connected to the critically low level of the Danube, due to which Romania risked shutting down the station's last working reactor.

After the blast, divers found that approximately four meters of the rock had been destroyed. The next step is expected to be the removal of some of the debris using a heavy crane.

The rocks are planned to be loaded onto four barges and sunk in a controlled manner in locations determined by specialists. They should form an artificial barrier that will limit water outflow to the Bala branch and direct a larger volume towards the Old Danube.

Currently, about 85% of the river flow is directed to the Bala branch and on to the Borcea branch. Only approximately 15% of the water reaches the Cernavodă NPP.

After all work is completed, the water level near the plant may rise by about 10 cm. This should create an additional margin for the cooling systems of the second power unit amid further shallowing of the river.

The Romanian authorities had previously warned that without urgent intervention, the shutdown procedure for the power unit could have begun as early as Wednesday or Thursday. The first measurements after the blasting indicate that this deadline has been postponed.

The rock blasting is part of a broader plan to redistribute water in the Danube. It also includes dredging the Old Danube and constructing an underwater sill on the Bala branch.

Earlier, CURRENT Ukraine such as reported, что из-за обмеления Дуная Румыния controllably stopped the first power unit of the Cernavodă NPP, which increased pressure on the energy system and wholesale electricity prices.

According to: TVR Info, Radu Miruță, The Guardian

analytics