Romania has taken its sole nuclear power facility, the Cernavodă plant, offline because of critically low water levels in the Danube River, triggered by an ongoing heatwave sweeping across Europe.

The plant, which houses two reactors generating roughly 20% of the nation's electricity, is not expected to resume operations for at least 10 days. The second reactor was disconnected just before midday on Thursday, following the shutdown of the first reactor in July.

Attempts to boost water flow included sinking barges filled with rocks to channel more water to the facility, which relies on the Danube for cooling. However, these measures were insufficient to prevent the shutdown. According to plant director Romeo Urjan, restarting the reactors within the next ten days is unlikely.

Romania’s energy shortfall is typically mitigated by solar and wind power during the day, but in the evenings, the country must supplement with coal, gas, and imports. The drought has also severely impacted Romania's substantial hydropower resources.

Nearby Hungary, which operates the Paks nuclear plant also cooled by the Danube, has so far avoided a shutdown. Nevertheless, Hungarian officials have expressed concern over the low river levels, which have not been this low in 30 years across several European nations.

Broader European Impact

The Danube's historic low water levels are part of a larger pattern of extreme heat affecting Europe, the fastest-warming continent globally. The Copernicus climate service highlights that Europe is heating at twice the global average, intensifying heatwaves, straining water resources, and exacerbating wildfires.

Other major waterways like the Rhine are experiencing similarly low water levels, disrupting river traffic. The agricultural sector across Europe is also suffering, with Italy's Coldiretti association estimating climate-related damages could surpass €3 billion, while France anticipates heatwave costs between €10 billion and €15 billion.

Financial institutions warn the extreme heat could significantly erode the European Union's projected economic growth, with the European Commission and IMF forecasting only modest increases this year.

Meanwhile, England recently recorded temperatures reaching 38.1°C in Kew Gardens, marking the hottest day of the year so far.