Romania OKs money for urgent dredging of Danube River

The Romanian Government has approved EUR 1.02 million for urgent dredging works on the Danube River, amid severe hydrological drought and exceptionally low river flows.

The money will be used to deepen the riverbed at two critical points – Cochirleni and Caragheorghe-Turcescu – in order to ensure the water flow required for the safe operation of the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant.

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.

The newly approved funds will be divided equally between two dredging projects:

• work at the Cochirleni critical point, between river kilometers 309 and 304, removing approximately 50,000 cubic meters of material,
• work at the Caragheorghe-Turcescu critical point, between river kilometers 345 and 342, also removing approximately 50,000 cubic meters of material.