Apele Române Crișuri (the Crisuri Water Basin Administration) has deployed a Watermaster amphibious machine to dredge the Danube River at Cernavodă, Romania, as one of several emergency measures to secure cooling water for local nuclear power plant.
Exceptionally low water levels have reduced the flow available for cooling and forced both reactors to shut down.
By removing accumulated silt and sand from critical sections of the riverbed, the dredging operations will help improve water flow towards Cernavodă.
Recently, the Romanian Government approved EUR 1.02 million for urgent dredging works on the Danube River, amid severe hydrological drought and exceptionally low river flows.
According to the Government, these works are set to reduce the risks of unavailability of electricity production capacities, ensuring the continuity of energy supply and monitoring the effects on the environment and the hydrological regime.