Serbia's only oil refinery at risk as Danube nears unnavigable levels
The Danube River will become unnavigable within a matter of days, raising the risk that Serbia's only oil refinery could be forced to halt operations, President Aleksandar Vučić said on Aug. 2, according to the ruling Serbian Progressive Party.
Serbia's President Aleksandar Vučić warned on August 2 that the country's only oil refinery, located at Pančevo, could be forced to halt operations due to the Danube River becoming unnavigable within days. Drought conditions and escalating oil prices have created significant challenges for Serbia's energy sector. Vučić stated that the government is setting up a crisis headquarters and will take all necessary measures to prevent the refinery from shutting down, though he hopes this will not be necessary.
He expressed concern that Serbia is facing severe issues related to both oil prices and the global availability of crude oil and diesel fuel, with half of Russia's oil refineries currently out of operation and Ukrainian forces destroying many more. Vučić emphasized that the Serbian government is doing everything possible to address the crisis, but he stressed that the focus is on weathering the ongoing natural disaster rather than allocating specific funds.
The record heat and ongoing drought have caused the Danube's water levels to plummet to record lows, leading to disruptions in river shipping. In Romania, low Danube water levels prompted the shutdown of Cernavodă nuclear power plant, the nation's sole nuclear facility. Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar also cautioned that Hungary may face an energy crisis, partly due to the suspension of operations at Paks nuclear power plant, the country's only nuclear power plant, because of low Danube water levels.
Written by urgent.news from New Voice of Ukraine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
