Romania blasts rock to divert water from drought-hit Danube to nuclear reactor

Key Points:

• Romanian naval forces conducted a controlled explosion to redirect cooling water from the drought-affected Danube to Romania’s last operational nuclear reactor at Cernavodǎ, highlighting the severity of the energy crisis caused by record-low river levels.
• Both Romania and Hungary have reduced capacity or shut down their sole nuclear plants, which rely on Danube water for cooling, leading to increased dependence on costly power imports amid rising electricity demand due to heatwaves.
• Hungary’s Paks nuclear plant is operating at less than half capacity and is expected to fully shut down next week, with authorities warning of a potential energy crisis and calling for coordinated power usage reductions.
• Serbia’s hydroelectric capacity on the Danube has dropped to 20%, prompting emergency government meetings to address energy challenges; the Danube’s low water levels have exposed historical artifacts including a woolly mammoth skeleton in Bulgaria.
• No significant rainfall is forecasted to raise Danube water levels soon, potentially prolonging energy supply issues across the 10 countries the river traverses.