SOFIA, Aug 20 (Reuters) – Bulgaria’s sole nuclear power plant said it will cut capacity by about 12% on Friday due to the Danube river’s low water levels.
The Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), which provides around 35% of Bulgaria’s electricity needs, operates two 1,000 MW Soviet-made reactors – Units 5 and 6. It said it would cut capacity at unit 5 by about 120 MW to ensure the plant’s safe operation.
The decision was taken due to the “ongoing unprecedented and critical decrease in the Danube River”, the plant said, adding that this was the first time in its 52-year operational history that the power capacity had to be reduced due to extreme hydrological conditions.
Record low water levels in Europe’s major rivers have reduced electricity output, with nuclear power production in Hungary and hydropower in Serbia falling sharply because of the Danube’s low levels.
Last week, Romania’s sole nuclear power producer Nuclearelectrica shut down its plant completely due to the low Danube.
A team set up at Kozloduy in July has implemented necessary procedures to ensure the plant’s safe and reliable operation in the event of a prolonged drop in river levels, the company said.
(Reporting by Stoyan Nenov; Writing by Daria Sito-Sucic; Editing by Mark Potter and Susan Fenton)
