Europe’s hydropower nears ‘all-time-low’ as summer drought worsens. Is gas the only backup?

“We are simply missing one-third of the water volume that our hydropower plants would normally process.”

ATHENS, Greece (AP) -- A record-breaking hot and dry summer tightened its grip on Europe Monday, as water-dropping planes swooped over a major wildfir

Europe is grappling with a record-breaking hot and dry summer

Water-dropping planes swooped over a major wildfire west of Athens Monday, a day after a midair collision between two firefighting helicopters killed two crew members.

Wildfires west of Athens jumped containment lines, a day after a midair collision between two helicopters killed two crew members.

Europe's hot, dry summer takes its toll with fires in France and Greece, and drought in the UK  AP News

A record-breaking hot and dry summer tightened its grip on Europe Monday, as water-dropping planes swooped over a major wildfire in Greece, firefighters in France sought to stabilize a blaze in Provence and much of the U.K. recorded its driest July in nearly two centuries.