European nuclear plants forced offline by heat and low river levels

In early August, France halted two reactors at the Chooz nuclear plant and one at Cattenom after the Meuse and Moselle rivers fell below safe cooling levels. Similar heat‑driven constraints hit Hungary, where the Danube’s low flow threatened the country’s only nuclear facility; engineers managed to keep at least one turbine operating, a situation "never seen in 44 years of operation". In Romania, the Cernavoda plant required the navy to blast rocks in the Danube to redirect water, yet one reactor still had to be shut.

These events expose the vulnerability of Europe’s nuclear fleet, which supplies about 70 % of France’s electricity and a significant share of Central‑European power, to climate‑induced water scarcity. The reduced output has pushed electricity market prices higher, with Italy’s national electricity price (PUN) reaching record levels as demand peaks in the evening.

"La France demeure hyper excédentaire," EDF noted, underscoring the broader challenge of maintaining energy security amid rising temperatures.