Romania Restarts Coal Plant to Offset Nuclear Shutdown Caused by Danube Drought

Romania's Ministry of Energy said on Tuesday, August 18, 2026 (27 Mordad 1405), that it has reconnected the roughly 300 megawatt Rovinari coal unit 4 to the national grid. The move offsets part of the power lost after the country's only nuclear plant, Cernavoda, went fully offline; its two 680 megawatt reactors normally supply about 20 percent of Romania's electricity. According to state operator Nuclearelectrica and AFP, the Danube river's lowest water level in 90 years made reactor cooling difficult and forced the shutdown. The low Danube water has also affected Hungary's Paks nuclear plant.