Europe faces power crunch as Rhine and Danube reach critical lows

Europe’s energy system is under growing pressure as record-low river levels disrupt electricity generation, reducing output at nuclear and hydropower plants while also threatening coal-fired stations in Germany that rely on the Rhine for fuel transport.

The Danube and the Rhine — the two rivers that underpin much of the EU’s power network — have seen water levels fall sharply amid prolonged heat and drought, Caliber.Az reports via Euractiv.

As of August 3, the Rhine registered low water levels at 43% of monitoring points, while the Danube was classified as “extremely low” at 59% of locations and low elsewhere, according to Germany’s federal water-level monitoring service.

In Hungary, authorities have urged households and businesses to cut nighttime electricity consumption after the country’s only nuclear power plant halted operations due to insufficient Danube water for cooling. The government has also doubled electricity imports from neighbouring states.

Romania, meanwhile, has begun blasting rocks in the Danube to create space for a temporary dam aimed at maintaining cooling water supplies for its remaining nuclear reactor.

The impact extends well beyond the two countries. Austria’s run-of-river hydropower stations, which depend heavily on the Danube, are producing around 30% less electricity than normal. Bulgaria’s energy ministry said on Monday its nuclear reactors have enough cooling water to continue operating for at least another three weeks.

In France, elevated river temperatures are expected to keep about 11% of the country’s nuclear generation capacity offline during the hottest hours of August 4, according to data from EDF.

By Jeyhun Aghazada