Romania blasts rock to divert water from drought-hit Danube to nuclear reactor

Why This Matters

Key context: <p>Hungary and Romania face energy crisis as record-low river levels force atomic power plants to reduce output</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2026/aug/03/europe-heatwave-wildfires-migration-ceuta-spain-latest-news-updates">Europe live – latest updates</a></p></li></ul><p>Romanian naval forces carried out a controlled explosion to help redirect vital cooling water from the drought-hit Danube to the country’s last working nuclear ⁠reactor, as neighbouring Hungary ​said it may be able to eke out two more days of power from its only atomic plant.</p><p>Hungary and Romania have been <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/aug/01/eastern-europe-dried-up-rivers-tourism-energy-mammoth">forced to shut down nuclear reactors</a> cooled by the Danube for the first time, as record-low water levels deepen fears of an energy crisis across the region. Romania has declared a nationwide state of emergency throughout August stemming from a decline in electricity production <a href="https://www.euronews.com/2026/07/31/danube-drought-exposes-everything-from-shipwrecks-to-centuries-old-projectiles">after record low Danube river levels</a> led to the shutdown at the Cernavodǎ nuclear plant.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/aug/03/romania-blasts-divert-danube-water-nuclear-reactor-energy-crisis-hungary">Continue reading...</a> This development from The Guardian highlights ongoing changes in the sector.