Eastern and Central Europe on brink of energy emergency amid record-low water and heatwaves

Countries across Europe are on the brink of an energy emergency as the River Danube falls to record-low water levels - with Romania carrying out underwater detonations to improve water flow.

Large parts of Europe have been hit by prolonged heat and drought - lowering river levels and raising concerns about water supplies, river transportation and power generation.

It comes as images showed the Romanian navy blasting rocks in controlled explosions to divert the Danube water flow toward the Cernavoda nuclear power plant in Izvoarele, Romania.

Acting Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced a nationwide state of alert in the energy sector on Friday, and warned that the Danube's low water levels threatened the shutdown of Cernavoda's second reactor.

He has appealed to citizens to voluntarily limit electricity usage in peak evening hours.

Meanwhile, the water authority in Hungary was projecting that ⁠the level of the Danube, which flows from Germany ⁠to the Black Sea, would drop further in the coming days.

Water levels for the river in Budapest dropped to around 10cm on Monday, well below the previous all-time low of 33cm in 2018.

Hungary's Prime Minister Peter Magyar has since warned the country is facing the "most critical five days ahead" with its sole nuclear power plant, the two-gigawatt Paks plant, expected to be shut down this week due to the water levels on the river - which is used for cooling.

"We are facing the most critical five days ‌ahead," Mr Magyar said in a Facebook video at the weekend.

"The power grid, our public services and ourselves will all come under ‌enormous strain," said Mr Magyar, who has warned that Paks, which runs four Russian-built reactors, could remain inactive for weeks.

He said the power plant would operate at reduced capacity until it is completely shut down for the first time in more than four decades as a new heatwave looms.

The plant generates about half of the country's electricity. As of Sunday, it was running at just over 10% of its capacity after the Danube fell to a record low.

In a later video, he said the decision on when to shut it down would be "made by the plant's management observing a strict security protocol".

Falls in water levels have also disrupted shipping ⁠and tourism in the country. Water-use restrictions have been imposed in more than ​100 cities and villages, including on the outskirts of Budapest, according to government records.

The crisis ​could cost Hungary 100bn to 200bn forints (£235m to £470m) due to the surging price of imported electricity, Mark Radnai, vice chairman of Mr Magyar's Tisza Party, said on Facebook.

It comes amid ongoing extreme heat across Europe: Massive blazes in Spain and France at the end of last month drove roughly 325,000 people from their homes and holiday sites, while a wildfire is currently raging in Greece.

Read more from Sky News:
Heat health alerts issued for most of England
Ariana Grande to take 'step back'

Mr Magyar said voluntary cuts in power usage by households and more than 300 ⁠companies, after a government appeal, had reduced demand by 400MW, ​easing some pressure on the grid.

"For the time being there is ​no need for mandatory restrictions in power consumption for companies," he said.

He added, however, that restrictions could be introduced at the start of this week, if necessary.

German river also at record low

The Rhine, a river that is a major highway for European freight traffic, has also dried up in some parts.

In Germany's western city of Cologne, which spans the Rhine, the water level on Saturday dropped below the record low set in October 2018.

The volume of cargo transported to and from Rotterdam - Europe's largest sea port - to the Rhine has ​fallen each week since the start of July and is around 10% lower than usual, a port spokesperson told ​the Reuters news agency.

In Italy, the Po River basin has entered a state of high water scarcity, threatening rice crops and drinking water supplies across the ​north.

Renato Mazzoncini, chief executive of regional utility A2A, said: "Some of our reservoirs are under pressure.

"We practically need to start doing a rain dance."

Meanwhile, in Serbia, record-low Danube levels have pushed the country's key hydroelectric plant to operate with only 20% of its capacity.

Prime Minister Djuro Macut appealed to residents to "minimize the use of big consumers of electricity in their homes, such as air conditioners."

He described the situation in a statement late on Sunday as "serious and demanding."

(c) Sky News 2026: Eastern and Central Europe on brink of energy emergency amid record-low water and heatwaves