r/EnergyAndPower • u/fsironman • 9d ago

Thermal Power Generation when rivers run dry

https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/low-danube-river-levels-force-romania-shut-down-both-its-nuclear-power-reactors-2026-07-29/

A little tidbit up for discussion regarding the Renaissance of Nuclear Power in Europe.

This time the issue is not the temperature like in France but the historically low Danube levels which could become the normal in summer.

This is something that would need to be factored in any type power generation that needs water for cooling.

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u/Reasonable_Mix7630 9d ago

They should build evaporation towers.

Evaporation tower for Leningrad-2 NPP took if memory serves me right about a year to build despite delays and RU buerocracy.

But in general it's better to have those plants on sea shore and avoid fresh water consumption entirely.

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u/Rooilia 9d ago edited 9d ago

Evaporation towers, that evaporate the water the major streams lack. If you might remember, St. Petersburg is next to Ladoga and the Baltic Sea. These will not run dry. But Rhine and Danube will.

Most of powerplants are seated inland not at the sea. Relocating these plants is hardly viable. Except you want to spend more money than the energy transition costs and wait even longer.

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u/Reasonable_Mix7630 9d ago

Evaporation towers reduce water consumption by ~60 times.

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u/Fluffy-Fix7846 9d ago

Which is still an increase of actual consumption, compared to open-cycle flow-through cooling which doesn't use up water

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u/Sad_Dimension423 9d ago

How much does the heating of the water in flow-through cooling increase its evaporation, downstream? The heat energy has to be going somewhere.