Nuclear plants shut down as Europe’s drought becomes an energy crisis
A view of the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant as low flow rate of the Danube River has raised the risk of a shutdown of both operating reactors in Cernavoda, Constanta, Romania, on August 4, 2026. The Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant, Romania’s only nuclear power facility, produces about 20% of the country’s electricity.
Anadolu | Anadolu | Getty Images
A hot and exceptionally dry summer has disrupted Europe’s nuclear power plants, prompting governments to take extraordinary measures to keep energy supplies running.
In Romania, the state-owned nuclear power producer Nuclearelectrica on Thursday began disconnecting its sole operating reactor from the power grid due to low water levels on the Danube River — a vital economic artery that stretches 1,770 miles.
That’s despite the southeastern European country’s government taking some unprecedented measures in recent days, including dredging the channel and sinking rock-filled barges. Romanian naval forces also carried out a controlled underwater explosion on the riverbed last week, seeking to improve water flow to the cooling systems of its Cernavoda power plant.
The two reactors of Romania’s one active nuclear power plant, operated by Nuclearelectrica, typically supply about a fifth of the country’s electricity.
In Hungary, the government has enjoyed something of a reprieve as rainfall has helped lift water levels on the Danube, allowing it to restart another turbine at its Paks nuclear power plant.
Two of the power plant’s eight turbines are now producing electricity again, Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar said via social media on Monday, offering some relief to a facility that supplies nearly half the country’s electricity.
In France, where nuclear provides about 70% of the country’s electricity, utility provider EDF said Wednesday that it had reduced output at multiple reactors due to environmental issues.
EDF also shut down three reactors at its Gravelines nuclear power plant in northern France earlier in the week due to a “massive influx of jellyfish,” triggering automatic preventative measures.
It marked the second successive year that a jellyfish swarm shuttered reactors at the facility, which is one of the largest in the country.
A controlled underwater explosion is pictured on the riverbed of the Danube River in Izvoarele village, on August 3, 2026. The blast aimed at deepening the channel and diverting a higher volume of water toward the cooling systems of the Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant.
Daniel Mihailescu | Afp | Getty Images
France has reportedly been forced to shut down a record number of nuclear power plants this summer amid a prolonged bout of extreme heat, wildfires and droughts. To be sure, nuclear power plants are often built near rivers or coastlines, so they use nearby water sources to cool their reactors.
European governments are exploring a range of options to mitigate the impact of nuclear power’s vulnerability to heat waves and low water levels, such as additional or…
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