Heatwave forces Romania to blast Danube river to help nuclear plant

Water levels in the River Danube, which flows through ten countries from Germany to the Black Sea, have dropped to just 23 centimetres in Budapest as severe drought grips central Europe.

Hungary's Paks nuclear power plant was operating at about 10% of capacity because of a lack of cooling riverwater. In Romania, the military blew up a rock outcrop in a bid to improve water flow to the Cernavoda plant.

Romania's military detonated part of the Danube riverbed to redirect water towards the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant.

Explosives used to move a large rock and let more water flow to cool nuclear power plant More must be done ⁠to strengthen the European Union’s borders at critical points, ⁠European Commission president ⁠Ursula ​von der Leyen told Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez ⁠in a letter. In the carefully-calibrated letter, fir

The river has hit a record low in places amid prolonged drought

Romania blasts rocks to reroute cooling Danube water to nuclear reactor  Reuters

Europe’s brutal heatwave has already sparked record-breaking temperatures, deadly wildfires and mass evacuations. Now a new crisis looms: an energy shortage

A drought in Central Europe has had serious consequences in Hungary as the nation's only nuclear plant, which produces around half of its energy, could be forced to shut for the first time ever

BUDAPEST/BUCHAREST, Aug 3 - Romania blew up a rock outcrop on Monday to help redirect vital cooling water from the drought-hit Danube to its last working nuclear reactor, as neighbouring Hungary said it might be able to eke out two more days of power from its only atomic plant.

Hungary’s only nuclear plant on brink of shutdown as Europe heatwave threatens energy crisis  CNN

03 August 2026 Iași, a city in northeastern Romania, has decided to reduce its public street lighting following the nationwide state of alert declared in Romania's energy sector on July 31 The street lighting is switched off after 24:00 in the city, except on hospital grounds, underpasses, and busy central areas such a

The drought in Europe has sent the River Danube to a record low, forcing Hungary to shutter its only nuclear power plant.

Hungary's prime minister has warned the country is facing the "most critical five days ahead" with its sole nuclear power plant expected to be shut down this week due to record-low water levels of the River Danube.

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said the country faces a critical five days as ‌its ‌sole nuclear power plant is halted for the first time in over four decades.

Hungary's sole nuclear facility has been offline due to unprecedentedly low levels of the Danube River. This shutdown exacerbates power shortages amid a fierce summer heatwave, prompting the government to urge both households and businesses to conserve energy. Consequently, Hungary must depend on costly electricity imp

Prolonged drought and extreme heat across Europe have also triggered an energy crisis. For the first time ever, Hungary announced the shutdown of the country’s only nuclear power plant, after water levels in the Danube fell to a record low. Peter O’Brien explains.

Hungary PM announces closure of nuclear plant due to heatwave  euractiv.com

By Udeme Akpan Aba residents across the Ring-fence Area, covering nine of Abia State’s 17 local government areas, were plunged into darkness on Friday evening following an abrupt disruption in natural gas supply to the 188-megawatt Geometric Power Plant at the Osisioma Industrial Layout. The outage, which began around

BUDAPEST, Hungary (Reuters) -- Hungary will power down its Paks nuclear power plant for the first time in nearly half a ‌century, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said Saturday, as water levels on the Danube River the plant uses as a coolant have plumbed record lows. The shutdown comes as large parts of Europe have been hit

Hungary is fully shutting down its sole nuclear power plant for the first time due to the record low levels of the Danube River, straining energy supplies and posing a major test for the economy and new Prime Minister Peter Magyar.

Hungary’s only nuclear power plant will shut down for the first time in its history due to record-low water levels on the Danube River, prime minister Peter Magyar said.He added that the plant may not come back online for several weeks as the river is expected to continue receding.The Paks nuclear plant, located around

Hungary braces for a full shutdown of the Paks nuclear plant as the Danube River hits record lows  Toronto Star