Nearly two-thirds of the Danube has recorded flow rates that are the lowest on record for a month of July in 34 years, according to an analysis published by the European climate change observatory, Copernicus.
This persistent drought has curbed river flows used to cool nuclear plants, hampering the cooling of reactors. As a result, Romania has shut down its sole nuclear plant, while Hungary is trying to salvage the operation of its own facility.
Romania has begun a controlled shutdown of the second reactor at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant. The facility usually generates a fifth of the country's electricity, and efforts had been made to avert a total shutdown.