Energy suppliers who make new contracts have not announced their intention to increase the price in these days, but the longer the period and the more difficult the conditions, all the costs now, all the expensive imports in the evening hours will be reflected in one way or another, in the prices that we will all pay, said on Sunday the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Energy Cristian Bușoi.

“We are prepared to take all necessary measures so that the difficult regional situation does not affect Romania too much. All possible production capacities at the moment are operating at maximum, both coal-fired and gas-fired. Of course, there are some concerns about the forecast for Hidroelectrica’s production, but today there are no problems and the effort is to keep Unit 2 in Cernavodă operating. At the moment, Romanian consumers have contracts in force and the contracts are valid. The price is clear. I have not seen any intentions these days of suppliers making new contracts to increase the price. But the longer the period is and the more difficult the conditions are, at some point, all the costs now, all the expensive imports in the evening hours will be found in one way or another, unfortunately, in the prices that we will all pay”, Bușoi said, on Digi24.

The Secretary of State stated that, without the actions being prepared these days on the Danube, the second reactor at Cernavoda could operate for approximately another five days.

“There are very clear calculations, there are very clear procedures depending on the flow rate and the centimeters that are necessary for the pumps that ensure cooling to operate. We are close to that moment, but we still have a few days of operation. All the technical details that obviously should be communicated by specialists, we can communicate in the context in which we must understand that Nuclearelectrica is still a company in which not only the Romanian state is a shareholder, it is also listed on the stock exchange and we must respect all the communication rules. Without the actions that are being prepared these days, around 5 days (Cernavoda reactor 2 can still operate, ed.), but we are confident that what is happening at the moment and the interventions that are being made by state institutions can lead to an extension, to get through the critical period, an extension of the period, the water necessary for operation and to get through these critical days”, explained Cristian Bușoi, according to Agerpres.

Authorities have declared a nationwide state of alert in Romania for the month of August due to a drop in electricity production, interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced on Friday.

“We have declared a nationwide state of alert for the month of August due to a drop in electricity production due to drought and low flows on rivers, especially on the Danube,” said Bolojan, who also serves as interim Minister of Energy, after Friday’s extraordinary government meeting.

He recalled, in context, that this represents a drop of less than half of the Danube’s flows compared to normal values ​​during this period.

In this context, the Executive allocated, in the Government meeting, by a decision, seven million lei to the Ministry of Transport, for the Lower Danube River Administration, in order to carry out works in the area of ​​the adduction from Cernavoda, to maintain the operation of Group 2 of the power plant.

The goal is to maintain, even in conditions of decreasing Danube flow, the water level in the adduction basin, from where the pumps that ensure the cooling of the Cernavoda Power Plant extract their water, in such a way that on the Bala Canal, which connects the Danube to this area, there is a relatively constant flow.

On the other hand, the interim prime minister showed that the state authorities must take voluntary measures to reduce energy consumption in the evening hours and there are procedures managed by Transelectrica that will be put into practice so as to ensure the operation of the system.

The Chief Executive also stated that prosumers with storage capacities can be helpful during this period, as they can store energy during days when there is excess production, and release it in the evening into the national grid.

Romania is going through one of the most difficult hydrological periods in recent decades, and the forecast of the National Institute of Hydrology and Water Management indicates that, on August 6, the Danube could reach a flow rate lower at the entrance to the country than the minimum recorded in August 2003, when the flow rate was 1,600 cubic meters per second, according to a press release from the National Administration “Romanian Waters”.