Romania’s only nuclear power station has initiated a shutdown of its second reactor, with the first having ceased operation in July, due to extremely low water levels in the Danube River. The prolonged hot weather affecting much of Europe has caused the river, which supplies cooling water to the Cernavodă plant, to fall to a 30-year low in several countries.
The second of the plant's two 706-megawatt nuclear reactors was disconnected from the Romanian electricity grid just before midday on Thursday, following the earlier shutdown of the first reactor in July. The Cernavodă plant, which produces approximately 20% of Romania's electricity, is not expected to restart operations within the next 10 days, according to plant director Romeo Urjan, speaking to AFP news agency.
Authorities had previously attempted to increase the water flow to the plant by sinking barges loaded with rocks in the river to mitigate the impact of the drought. Cernavodă has only been shut down once before, in 2003, underscoring the severity of the current conditions.
Neighbouring Hungary has so far managed to avoid a shutdown of its Paks nuclear plant, which also relies on the Danube for cooling. However, Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar warned last month that the Soviet-era Paks facility, comprising four nuclear reactors, could face a complete closure for the first time if water levels continued to drop. Plant officials in Hungary noted that the Danube’s levels were so low that the suction nozzles designed to draw in water were unable to reach it.
The shortfall in Romania’s power generation is typically supplemented by solar and wind energy during the hot, windy daytime periods. However, during evenings, traditional coal and gas-powered generation will need to be reinforced by electricity imports. Romania also possesses significant hydropower capacity, but this has been severely curtailed by the same low river levels responsible for the nuclear shutdown.
These challenges are part of a wider pattern across Europe, which the Copernicus climate service identifies as the fastest warming continent, heating up twice as rapidly as the global average. This trend is contributing to an increase in summer heatwaves, greater strain on Europe’s water resources, and more intense wildfires.
Beyond energy production, key waterways such as the Rhine are experiencing record low water levels, severely limiting commercial traffic. The continent's agricultural sector has also sustained significant damage. Coldiretti, Italy's largest agricultural trade association, has estimated climate-related losses from hail, drought, and wildfires could exceed €3 billion (£2.6 billion; $3.5 billion).
In France, Environment Minister Monique Barbut indicated that data from the national statistics agency suggested recent heatwaves could incur direct and indirect costs ranging from €10 billion to €15 billion. The Dutch bank Triodos has also cautioned that the extreme heat and its consequences could significantly diminish much of the European Union's projected economic growth. The European Commission had forecast growth of 1.1%, while the IMF anticipated the euro area to grow by approximately 0.9%.
The impact of the heatwave has also led to widespread public safety concerns and emergency responses. In Greece, more than 200 people, primarily tourists, were evacuated on Friday from the popular resorts of Siviri and Fourka in the northern Halkidiki peninsula due to a raging wildfire. Greek firefighters have been deployed to prevent the blaze from spreading further into residential areas.
France is currently experiencing high temperatures, with as many as 80 departments on heatwave alert, and some areas expected to exceed 40C (104F) on Friday. The country has already been devastated by fires in recent weeks, with the blazes causing more damage this year than at any time since World War Two. Spain, still recovering from recent deadly wildfires, recorded temperatures as high as 37C in central areas on Thursday.
The United Kingdom also registered its hottest day of the year so far on Thursday, with the Met Office reporting a provisional recording of 38.1C in London’s Kew Gardens. Multiple fires were reported across the West Midlands, resulting in several injuries and the destruction of four homes. While rain is forecast for parts of the UK over the weekend, the BBC climate and science team has stated that more than showers will be required to alleviate the country’s widespread drought conditions.
