Europe electricity supply strained by heat waves and drought

Extreme heat waves and severe drought across Europe have strained the continent's electricity systems, impacting both power demand and supply. Rising temperatures have significantly increased electricity consumption due to a surge in air conditioning use, with demand spikes recorded in countries such as Italy, Hungary, France, and Spain.

Simultaneously, record low water levels and high temperatures in major rivers like the Danube, Rhine, and Po have hampered power generation. Nuclear power plants in France and Switzerland have been forced offline to prevent discharging warm water into sensitive aquatic ecosystems. In Romania, Hungary, and Bulgaria, plants along the Danube have either shut down or reduced output because water levels fell below intake pump requirements. Specifically, the Cernavoda plant in Romania saw two reactors go offline, while the Paks station in Hungary had to reduce production and temporarily close units due to insufficient cooling water.

The European Commission has noted that while there is no immediate risk of a general supply shortage, the system balance remains tight due to these environmental pressures affecting hydroelectric, nuclear, and thermal power plants.