Romania has begun shutting down its only operating nuclear reactor because drought has left the Danube too low to supply enough cooling water. The country has declared an energy emergency.
The state-owned energy company Nuclearelectrica has started taking the reactor out of operation, DR reports, citing the news agency Reuters. The reactor sits beside the Danube and uses river water for cooling. Prolonged drought has reduced the river’s flow to unusually low levels.
A second reactor at the same site on the Danube had already been closed for the same reason. Together, the two reactors produce about one-fifth of Romania’s electricity when both are running. Romania has no other nuclear reactors.
Following the shutdowns, the government has declared an energy emergency. Companies and household electricity customers have been asked to limit consumption during the hours when the grid is under the greatest strain.
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Coal, wind and imports to cover the gap
Romania’s energy ministry says it has brought a coal-fired power plant back online to compensate for the lost nuclear output. The ministry also expects to draw on wind power and hydropower, which is supplied from reservoirs. Imported electricity is a further option.
According to the ministry, as reported by Reuters, the national grid has an import and export capacity of about 4,000 megawatts. The ministry stated that all European operators are aware of the regional energy crisis and are coordinating deliveries to grids affected by the weather. Reuters also reported the details of the shutdown and the emergency declaration.
Authorities had tried to keep the last active reactor running. Measures included blasting rocks in the Danube, dredging the riverbed and lowering barriers to channel water closer to the plant. Those efforts were not sufficient.
A wider European river drought
Large parts of Europe have been hit by hot weather and drought in recent weeks. Several rivers that matter for energy production, transport and agriculture have been affected. Besides the Danube, this includes the Rhine, which runs through Germany, France, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Austria and the Netherlands.
The BBC has reported on the extent of the low water on the Danube and noted that the levels were threatening nuclear cooling in Romania. AFP, in a report published by Phys.org, said record-low flow rates were measured along much of the Danube in July 2026. According to AFP, the drying river also came close to forcing Hungary to shut down its only nuclear plant, which relies on Danube water for cooling.
CNBC reported on August 5, 2026, that extreme low water on the Danube and the Rhine is disrupting energy generation, and that riverside reactors from France to Hungary are affected. The same drought conditions have kept weather and water levels under close watch across the continent.
