Scorching heat is straining Europe's nuclear power supplies — and prompting drastic measures

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 ImagesA 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 warned it may shut down its last working reactor as soon as Thursday as water levels on the Danube, a vital economic artery that stretches 1,770 miles, continue to fall.Romania, which has declared an energy emergency through August, has taken some unprecedented measures, including dredging the channel and sinking rock-filled barges.Romanian naval forces 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 supp...