Romania to resume power generation at Cernavodǎ nuclear power plant towards end-September

Despite some positive developments concerning water levels in the upper reaches and tributaries of the Danube, the forecast remains “reserved”, Cristian Bușoi said.

“After September 15, we will make a new assessment, but we expect things to be possible only towards the end of September,” he said.

Cernavodă NPP shut down its second reactor on August 13, after the first reactor was taken offline in July, leaving the national power system without 1.4 GW of nuclear generation. The loss is felt particularly during peak consumption hours, when the need for imported electricity and consequently its cost increases.

Coal- and gas-fired power plants are currently operating to partly replace Cernavodă’s output, while imports are being managed safely during peak hours as long as the nuclear power plants in Hungary (Paks) and Bulgaria (Kozloduy) remain in operation, Cristian Bușoi said.

“During the next three days, wind generation will be higher, so imports will be well below 2,000 MW during peak hours,” he added.

Romania needs around 7,500-8,000 MW during peak consumption hours in the summer months, but peak demand is expected to rise in winter.

The National Energy Dispatcher forecast for the previous cold season an instantaneous peak demand of 9,100-9,500 MW, depending on the scenario, and warned that this level could not be fully covered by domestic production under any of the scenarios. Actual peak demand reached 9,235 MW on January 19, 2026.

Although Romania is expected to maintain electricity supply at safe levels through costly imports, this will put additional pressure on prices and the energy supply chain, according to insolvency specialist CITR.

“The shock is first visible as a pressure on liquidity in the energy supply chain, so that, later, with an estimated lag of two to three quarters, the effects will surface in the financial results of industrial companies,” CITR said.

The impact is already visible in wholesale electricity prices. The average price on the Day-Ahead Market in August was RON 793 (EUR 151) per MWh, around 26% above the July level and almost double the August 2025 average of RON 396 per MWh.

During the evening hours, the power system operated on imports, while the government summoned more than 80 large industrial consumers and asked them to voluntarily reduce consumption.

According to CITR, the effects are not felt simultaneously across all sectors of the economy but are transmitted successively along the supply chain. The first pressure emerges in the liquidity of energy suppliers and traders, followed by the impact on industrial consumers and subsequently on their suppliers and subcontractors.

Suppliers face immediate liquidity pressure

Energy suppliers that can no longer receive electricity at affordable prices from Nuclearelectrica, which invoked the force majeure clause, have to replace the missing volumes on the spot market at significantly higher prices.

The band contracts concluded with Nuclearelectrica in January 2026, with deliveries scheduled throughout the year, envisage prices of around RON 550-560 per MWh. During the period when deliveries were affected, however, hourly spot-market prices rose to as much as RON 1,400 per MWh during peak hours. “A supplier who has contracted energy at a fixed price and must replace it from the market at the price of the day bears the difference immediately, in cash. His obligation to deliver to the end customer remains. That is why the pressure appears first here – it is a liquidity pressure,” said Florin Constantin, CITR partner.

Large industrial consumers face the next wave

The second area where pressure becomes visible is large industrial consumers, particularly companies in metallurgy, chemicals, cement, glass, paper and metal processing, for which electricity represents a significant component of production costs.

INS data indicated that industrial energy prices were 23.3% higher in June 2026 than in the same month of 2025.

For these companies, the impact depends on the structure of their energy contracts, their ability to pass higher costs on to customers, and the period for which they can absorb the difference through working capital or commercial margins.

Situated along the Danube–Black Sea Canal in Constanța County, the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) stands as the cornerstone of Romania’s energy security and decarbonization strategy. Operating as the nation’s sole nuclear power station, the facility supplies roughly 20% of Romania’s total electricity needs through two operational units, providing a continuous, baseload supply of zero-emission energy.

Utilizing Canadian-designed CANDU 6 (Canada Deuterium Uranium) pressurized heavy-water reactor technology, Cernavodă has maintained one of the highest capacity factors and safety records globally since its first unit went online in the mid-1990s.

Technical Profile & Strategic Metrics

Key Pillars of Cernavodă’s Strategic Importance

1. Baseload Grid Stability & Clean Energy: Unlike intermittent renewable sources such as wind and solar, Cernavodă provides uninterrupted, weather-independent electrical power. Its operation prevents the emission of over 10 million tons of $CO_2$ annually, making it indispensable to Romania’s climate targets.

2. The Heavy Water Advantage: The CANDU technology utilizes natural (unenriched) uranium mined and processed domestically. By using heavy water as both a moderator and coolant, Romania avoids complete reliance on foreign uranium enrichment facilities, reinforcing national energy independence.

3. High Operational Safety & Performance: Both active units consistently rank among the top performers worldwide in terms of capacity factor (the ratio of actual output over a given period to maximum potential output), reflecting rigorous maintenance and operational standards.

The Future: Unit 1 Refurbishment and Units 3 & 4 Expansion

As demand for clean baseload power accelerates across Eastern Europe, Cernavodă is undergoing its most significant expansion in decades:

• Unit 1 Lifetime Extension: A multi-billion-euro refurbishment project designed to extend Unit 1’s operational lifespan by an additional 30 years, ensuring continuous low-carbon power through the mid-2050s.

• Completion of Units 3 and 4: In partnership with international Euro-Atlantic consortiums, plans to build two additional CANDU 6 units are underway. Once operational, Units 3 and 4 will double the plant’s capacity, positioning Romania as a major exporter of clean electricity in the Black Sea region.

Through its proven track record and ambitious expansion plans, the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant remains the central pillar driving Romania toward energy sovereignty and a low-carbon future.