Historic European drought triggers energy alerts and drops river levels

Unprecedented heatwaves and severe drought continue to drop water levels along Europe's major rivers to historic lows, disrupting transport, industry, and energy production across the continent.

Recent measurements along the Rhine at Cologne in Germany and Lobith in the Netherlands recorded all-time low depths. Along the Danube, levels dropped to minus 163 centimeters at Bezdan on the Croatia-Serbia border, breaking a record set in 1909. Meanwhile, saltwater from the Adriatic Sea is creeping upstream into Italy's Po River.

The environmental crisis is threatening energy infrastructure across Southeastern Europe. Romanian authorities conducted underwater detonations on the Danube to improve water flow toward the Cernavoda nuclear power plant. In Serbia, where temperatures reached 39 degrees Celsius, the government urged citizens to reduce electricity consumption after production at the Đerdap hydroelectric plant fell to its lowest point since the early 1970s.

Sources: Avaz, Beta, Danas, HRT Vijesti, N1