How Romania Is Fighting to Keep Its Last Nuclear Reactor Online as the Danube Dries Up

State of Emergency Declared

On July 31, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan declared a nationwide state of emergency throughout August, citing the collapse in electricity production from the nuclear plant. The government allocated funds for emergency works on the Danube and for securing power imports from neighboring countries .

Military Rock Blasting to Redirect the River

On August 3, Romanian naval forces carried out a controlled explosion on a rocky outcrop that had been exposed by the low water levels in a branch of the Danube . The operation, which used roughly 180 kg of explosives, aimed to redirect water flow toward the "Old Danube" channel that feeds the Cernavoda plant's cooling water intake .

The Barge-Sinking Contingency Plan

By August 6, the government prepared a more drastic measure: sinking four rock-filled barges into the Danube to build a re-routing barrier, which officials estimated could extend Unit 2's operation by 9–10 days . The plan was delayed several times due to unsafe river conditions but remained the key option to buy additional time for the plant and the grid.

Industrial Load-Shedding Framework

Alongside the physical river interventions, the government readied a legal framework to cut power to industrial users if the grid situation deteriorated further, signaling the severity of the potential power shortfall .

Hungary's Parallel Nuclear Crisis

Hungary faced an even more severe version of the same problem. The Paks nuclear power plant — which supplies nearly half of the country's electricity — shut down for the first time in nearly 50 years on August 2, 2026 . The Danube at Budapest had dropped to roughly 4 inches (10 cm), well below the previous record low of 33 cm set in 2018 . Prior to the full shutdown, the plant had been operating at roughly 10% of its normal capacity . Prime Minister Peter Magyar described the situation as putting the country's power grid at its limits and asked major industrial users to curb consumption .

The Broader Drought and Energy Context

The crisis was the result of a prolonged drought and successive extreme heat waves across Europe. Danube levels at the Romanian entry point (Bazias) fell to their lowest since 1996 by July 20, and water levels near Cernavoda continued dropping 2–3 cm per day through early August . The Rhine River also hit record lows simultaneously, disrupting nuclear cooling, hydropower generation, freight shipping, and industrial supply chains across Germany, Austria, Serbia, Croatia, Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria .

The sustained heat wave increased electricity demand for air conditioning at the very moment that river-dependent power generation collapsed, placing extraordinary strain on national grids .

Vulnerabilities and Economic Consequences

Energy supply fragility. Romania's Cernavoda plant normally provides about 20% of the country's electricity; its partial shutdown forced heavy reliance on imports and raised the risk of blackouts . Hungary lost nearly half its generation capacity when Paks shut down . Both countries were forced to buy replacement electricity on regional markets at elevated prices, driving up costs for consumers and industry .

Agriculture. Danube low waters triggered irrigation restrictions for farmers in Romania, while Hungary imposed water-use restrictions in more than 100 cities and villages .

Shipping and trade. Barge traffic on the Danube was largely halted in Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, and Romania, stranding ships and disrupting the transport of grain, ore, and fuel .

Direct economic cost for Hungary. Prime Minister Magyar estimated the crisis could cost Hungary 100 billion to 200 billion forints (roughly $316 million to $632 million) due to surging electricity import prices .

A wake-up call on climate vulnerability. Officials and analysts across the region described the situation as exposing the structural dependence of critical infrastructure on stable river flows. While similar low-Danube events occurred in 2003, 2018, and 2022, they were less severe and did not force nuclear shutdowns .