{
  "id": 88786,
  "title": "Energy: Power crisis temporarily halts car production in Romania",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/03/energie-stromkrise-legt-autoproduktion-in-rumanien-vorubergehend-lahm",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-03T14:58:14.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Handelsblatt",
    "slug": "handelsblatt",
    "url": "https://www.handelsblatt.com/politik/international/energie-stromkrise-legt-autoproduktion-in-rumaenien-voruebergehend-lahm/100244754.html"
  },
  "original_language": "de",
  "account": "Due to a looming power shortage, car manufacturers Dacia and Ford have temporarily halted production in Romania, according to Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan. The plants will remain idle until August 19, the head of government said on Monday in Bucharest. The companies thus followed an appeal by the government to voluntarily reduce their energy consumption.\n\nThe production stop by the US group Ford and Renault subsidiary Dacia has already reduced the country's overall electricity demand by 200 megawatts on Monday. Bolojan added that other companies would follow this example and also reduce their consumption.\n\nThe causes of the power crisis in Romania are a heatwave and a persistent drought, which have led to extremely low water levels, especially in the Danube. As a result, the country had to drastically reduce its electricity production.\n\nAmong other things, the energy company Nuclearelectrica shut down one of the two reactors at its nuclear power plant because not enough water was flowing through the Danube for cooling. Nuclearelectrica normally produces around a fifth of the country's electricity consumption.\n\nThe country currently has to import between 2000 and 2500 megawatts of electricity per day, Bolojan explained. Since import capacities are limited, the prime minister renewed his appeal to companies, private households, and state institutions to continue to voluntarily reduce their electricity consumption.\n\nHungary's nuclear power plant on the brink of shutdown\n\nThe situation is also tense in neighboring Hungary. The country's only nuclear power plant, Paks, is on the verge of a complete shutdown due to the historically low water level of the Danube.\n\nThe plant, which normally supplies around half of Hungary's electricity, is currently only running at just over ten percent of its capacity of two gigawatts.\n\nThe last remaining turbine may possibly still be in operation until Tuesday, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said.\n\nAs in Romania, households and companies in Hungary also followed a government call to save energy. For example, the pharmaceutical company Richter announced that it would reduce its electricity demand by more than half over the next three weeks.",
  "summary": "Dacia and Ford are halting production until August 19. Due to drought and low water levels, there are not enough power capacities, and the government is calling for energy savings.",
  "key_points": [
    "Unprecedented energy crisis halts automobile production in Romania",
    "Dacia and Ford suspend operations until August 19",
    "Nationwide electricity demand reduction of 200 megawatts"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Romania's energy crisis prompts voluntary consumption cuts from businesses, including automakers, and households, revealing vulnerabilities in the country's power supply infrastructure amid extreme weather conditions.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Handelsblatt",
        "title": "Automaker: Ford halts production in Romania due to holidays",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/04/autobauer-ford-legt-produktion-in-rumanien-wegen-ferien-still",
        "published": "2026-08-04T08:53:53.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}