Rhine Falls to Lowest Since 1880, Threatening European Trade

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(Bloomberg) — The Rhine River’s water levels dropped to the lowest in nearly 150 years as hot, dry weather grips Europe, threatening to disrupt a crucial route for transporting coal, fuel and industrial commodities across a large swath of the continent.

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The water level at Kaub, a key choke point for vessels heading to southern Germany and Switzerland, fell to 24 centimeters Monday. That’s the lowest since records began in 1880, according to German federal data compiled by ETH Zurich. 

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With the fourth heat wave to grip Western Europe this summer stretching through the start of this week, the situation risks creating logistical bottlenecks on a river that snakes for roughly 800 miles (1,290 kilometers) from the Swiss Alps to the North Sea.

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The falling levels of the Rhine have already pushed freight rates sharply higher as barges are forced to reduce cargo loads to navigate the shallow waters. The cost to ship diesel from Rotterdam to Karlsruhe — further inland from the closely watched Kaub choke point — has climbed to the highest since Bloomberg began compiling the data in 2009. 

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The Rhine is a vital conduit for transporting oil products, chemicals, coal, iron ore, grains and goods in containers. Some cargoes can be transported by rail instead. A DB Cargo spokesperson said last week that the railway operator is in constant talks with customers affected by low water levels.

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Still, even if companies can find alternative supply routes, higher costs threaten to further erode Europe’s industrial competitiveness against rivals in Asia and North America.

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The extreme weather is also drying up other crucial European waterways, including the Danube, disrupting power systems and sparking massive wildfires.

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Progressively lower water levels are causing a shortage for cooling at Hungary’s Paks nuclear power station. The plant has been forced to fully shut down for the first time in its 44-year history, due to the low levels. That will strip the country of 40% of its electricity generation capacity, forcing the government to boost power imports.

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Historical water levels show that the Danube reaches its annual low point in August or September, according to Laszlo Nagy, the deputy director of the Paks plant, who added that it takes about a further week to bring the reactors online once water levels become adequate again. That means Hungary may have to do without its single-biggest energy asset for several months.

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In Romania, the navy took unprecedented action to boost water flows toward the country’s sole nuclear power plant by detonating a rock formation in the Danube.

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(Updates with detail on the Danube from eighth paragraph.)

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