Hungary and Romania have been compelled to shut down or restrict operations at nuclear power reactors cooled by the Danube River, as record-low water levels driven by an ongoing drought pose significant challenges to energy production across the region. The crisis underscores the broader impact of climate change on European energy infrastructure, with heatwaves and extended dry spells reducing river flows critical for cooling nuclear reactors and operating hydropower plants.

In Romania, authorities have undertaken unprecedented measures to sustain operations at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant, which has two reactors supplying about 20% of the country’s electricity. One reactor at the site has already been shut down due to insufficient cooling water, while efforts continue to keep the second online. Romanian naval forces recently executed a controlled explosion to remove rock obstructions from the riverbed, followed by plans to sink four rock-filled barges into the Danube to divert additional water toward the plant’s cooling system. Officials hope this will extend reactor operation by up to nine or ten days; without success, a shutdown could occur within five to six days.

Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan indicated that Romania is prepared to implement staged power cuts for industrial consumers if necessary, though none were anticipated in the immediate term, contingent on the reactor remaining operational. The Danube’s flow rate in Romania has dropped to a historic low of 1,400 cubic meters per second, roughly one-third of the typical August average, a situation compounded by the limited capacity of hydropower plants and constrained energy imports from neighboring countries facing similar conditions.

In Hungary, the situation is comparably severe, with expectations that the country may need to completely halt operations at its sole nuclear power station. Meanwhile, Serbia has seen its principal hydropower plant operate at just 20% capacity due to diminished water levels in the Danube. The river, which traverses ten countries, is not forecast to experience significant rainfall in the coming weeks, making short-term improvements unlikely.

The dramatic drop in the Danube’s water levels has exposed riverbed features rarely seen, including rocks, shipwrecks, a World War II bomb, and even the remains of a woolly mammoth, emphasizing the severity of this environmental anomaly. Experts caution that emergency measures like blasting and river engineering provide only temporary relief and do not substitute for long-term strategies such as expanding generation capacity, reinforcing grid connections between countries, or enhancing energy storage.

The drought’s impact on energy infrastructure in this key European region highlights the growing vulnerabilities posed by climate change, as countries reliant on a mix of gas, coal, hydropower, nuclear, and renewable sources face increasing pressure to invest in modernization and resilience to avoid broader energy disruptions.