Bulgaria cuts nuclear power output due to low Danube river levels

Bulgaria will reduce electricity output at the Kozloduy nuclear power plant due to an “unprecedented and critical” drop in the water level of the Danube River, the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy announced on Thursday.

The Kozloduy plant, which supplies more than a third of the country’s electricity needs and relies on Danube River water for cooling, will reduce the capacity of one of its two operational reactors by approximately 120 megawatts.

The ministry stated that the production cut aims to “ensure the safe operation” of the plant, adding that forecasts for river flow in areas upstream of Bulgaria “continue to show a downward trend.”

This will be the first time the plant’s capacity has been reduced due to “extreme weather and hydrological conditions” since it began operations 52 years ago, according to the ministry.

Elsewhere in Europe, the Beznau nuclear power plant in northern Switzerland halted operations in June due to high water temperatures in waterways, while France also reduced power output at several reactors amid a heatwave.