Record-Low Danube Disrupts Nuclear Plants, Strands Cruises

Article content

(Bloomberg) — The Danube, Europe’s second-longest river, fell to record low levels this week as heat waves scorched large swaths of the continent, adding to a summer of extreme weather that has strained vital waterways, disrupted energy supplies and ignited deadly fires.

Article content

The consequences are rippling through the Danube basin. Hungary is taking emergency steps to protect its only nuclear power plant, Serbia has tapped fuel reserves as barge traffic slows, Romania and Slovakia are grappling with disruptions to river navigation, and authorities across the region are bracing for further declines.

Article content

Article content

Article content

Along a stretch of the Danube winding through Budapest, the water level fell to 24 centimeters by 4 p.m. Wednesday, dropping four centimeters below the previous day’s level and surpassing the record low of 33 centimeters set in 2018, according to Hungary’s national water management authority.

Article content

Article content

In anticipation of the river falling further, the country has moved floating pump stations near its only nuclear power plant to help secure cooling water, Environment Minister Laszlo Gajdos said in a Facebook post on Wednesday. The plant announced it would shut down one of its four reactors because of the low water levels. They’ve also stranded river cruise boats, a staple of Budapest’s tourism industry, and forced the suspension of several ferry crossings.

Article content

Blistering temperatures since June, combined with scant rainfall, are disrupting transportation of Europe’s energy supplies and nuclear generation. As the latest heat wave intensifies, the Rhine is on track to reach a record low on Thursday morning, earlier than expected.

Article content

Elsewhere, in Romania, a Swiss-flagged cruise ship ran aground on the Danube late Monday while en route to Bulgaria, forcing the evacuation of all passengers. Authorities will shut down the second of its two reactors either later Wednesday or early Thursday, after already halting its first reactor earlier this week.

Article content

Article content

In Serbia, regulators allowed fuel retailers to tap emergency reserves after low water levels curtailed barge shipments of fuel along the river. Deputy Prime Minister Ivica Dacic chaired an emergency meeting on the critically depleted Danube, which is disrupting hydropower generation, oil and grain shipments, and irrigation in the northern breadbasket of Vojvodina.

Article content

Serbia’s Energy Ministry has warned that fuel imports by river barge are being disrupted because vessels can carry only about 25% of their normal loads to avoid running aground.

Article content

Danube water levels in Slovakia have also fallen to their lowest in decades, interrupting river traffic. Vessels with deeper drafts can no longer navigate some stretches and have been forced to remain in port or at anchor until conditions improve, the country’s Transport Authority said. To conserve water, operators at the Gabcikovo hydropower complex have adjusted lock operations, a key bottleneck for vessels traveling downstream into Hungary.

Article content

—With assistance from Irina Vilcu, Misha Savic and Daniel Hornak.

Article content