Romania shuts only nuclear plant as heat causes huge drop in Danube River level

Romania has shut down its sole nuclear power station due to dangerously low water levels in the Danube river, a consequence of prolonged hot weather affecting much of Europe. The Cernavodă plant, which generates around 20% of Romania's electricity, is not expected to resume operations within the next ten days. Attempts to boost water flow to the plant by sinking barges loaded with rocks into the river were unsuccessful.

Hungary's only nuclear plant in Paks has not faced a shutdown, in contrast. The Danube's water levels have plummeted to their lowest in 30 years across several countries. The second 706-megawatt reactor at Cernavodă was disconnected from Romania's electricity grid just before midday on Thursday. The first reactor was already shut down in July since 2003.

The power deficit will be mostly made up by solar and wind during daytime heat but will require traditional coal and gas plants, plus imports, during the evenings. Romania also relies heavily on hydropower, but this is significantly reduced by the same low river levels leading to the nuclear plant shutdown. Hungary's Prime Minister Péter Magyar had previously warned that the Paks plant, with its four Soviet-era reactors, could shut down for the first time ever due to the low water levels.

Climate change is causing unprecedented heatwaves and wildfires, with Europe heating up twice as fast as the global average. This has led to increased pressure on Europe's water resources and more intense wildfires. The Rhine, another major European waterway, is also experiencing low water levels, severely limiting shipping. Agriculture in Europe has suffered significant losses, with Italy's Coldiretti estimating damage could exceed €3bn.

France's Environment Minister Monique Barbut warned that recent heatwaves could result in €10bn to €15bn in direct and indirect costs. The Dutch bank Triodos forecast that the extreme heat and its consequences could erase much of the projected economic growth for the EU, contradicting the European Commission's growth forecast of 1.1% and the IMF's estimate of 0.9%.

In England, Kew Gardens recorded a provisional temperature of 38.1C, making it the hottest day of the year so far.