Abstract: Plant for cooling water circulating in a secondary cooling loop, including a plurality of parallel operating cooling cells each having a blower, a drive motor for the blower and a cooling water pump having a suction side, the cooling water pumps of the cooling cells being separately drivable, a cold water basin connected to the cooling cells, a secondary cooling water pump connected to the cold water basin, a heat exchanger connected to the secondary cooling water pump, a warm water basin being directly connected to the suction side of the cooling water pumps and being disposed upstream of the cold water basin, and means disposed between the warm water basin and the cold water basin for providing an overflow therebetween.