Record low river levels across Europe this August left too little water for cooling nuclear reactors. This caused reactor shutdowns, reduced electricity generation, and skepticism about the viability of a “nuclear renaissance” in the face of the warming climate.
“Climate change is making nuclear power more and more unpredictable,” Per Högselius, a professor at Sweden’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology, told Politico. France shutdown three reactors and reduced outputs at several others. Bulgaria lowered outputs at the country’s only reactor and Hungary, which relies on nuclear alone for 40% their electricity, had to cut generation by 75%.
The Hungarian government sank two ships into the Danube to raise water levels near its Paks reactor site. In Romania, officials detonated explosives and sank four rock-filled barges to push water to the Cernavodă reactor site, which depends on the Danube for 20% of the country’s power. Ultimately, both reactors at the site were shut down.
The drying Danube not only cools nuclear reactors, but is relied on for freight, irrigation, hydro power, and, most critically, drinking water across 19 countries. Hungary is considering a short-term strategic dam to collect water near its reactor, but with potentially hazardous consequences for wildlife and downriver communities. In recent years, and again this June reactors across Europe have also been forced to shut down because of high river temperatures. Climate change and extreme weather events promise to grow more drastic, forcing officials to confront the challenges of the push for 50% of Europe’s electricity generation to be nuclear by 2050. The U.S. and UK plan to quadruple their nuclear output.
⸺ MSN, Sept. 8; Politico, Sept. 1 and Aug. 21; France Economic Daily, June 26, 2026
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