Record low water levels on European rivers strain regional energy grids

Ongoing heatwaves and severe drought across Europe have pushed water levels on major rivers to record lows, triggering emergency measures and threatening energy supplies.

The Danube River dropped to a record minus 163 centimeters at Bezdan on the Croatia-Serbia border, breaking a historic minimum set in 1909. Meanwhile, the Rhine reached unprecedented low levels at Cologne in Germany and Lobith in the Netherlands, while saltwater from the Adriatic Sea continues creeping upstream into Italy's Po River.

The hydrological crisis is impacting energy generation across Southeastern Europe. Romanian authorities carried out controlled underwater detonations on the Danube to maintain water flow toward the Cernavoda nuclear power plant. In Serbia, where temperatures reached up to 39 degrees Celsius, power output at the Đerdap hydroelectric facility dropped to its lowest point since operations began in the early 1970s, prompting calls for public energy conservation.

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