Europe's heatwave forces nuclear plant shutdowns across multiple countries

heatwave nuclear reactor shutdowns river water levels electricity price spike Europe

An unprecedented heatwave has swept Europe, drying rivers and raising water temperatures. Low water levels in the Danube, Danube tributaries, the Meuse, Moselle, Garonne, Sava and other rivers have forced nuclear power stations to shut down or operate at reduced capacity. France’s EDF halted several reactors, including at Golfech, after river temperatures exceeded 28 °C, and on 4 August stopped two reactors at Chooz and one at Cattenom because of low river flow. Hungary’s Paks plant is running only one block as Danube levels hit record lows. Romania’s Cernavodă plant is operating a single reactor for the same reason. Slovenia’s Krško plant cut output to about 80 % due to low and warm Sava water. Poland’s electricity market saw wholesale prices surge above 2 200 zł/MWh in the evening as low Vistula levels limited cooling at coal‑fired plants, prompting the government to convene a crisis mini‑staff. Similar stress has been reported in Sweden, Italy and other nations, with power operators invoking emergency measures to balance supply and demand. The combined effect highlights how extreme heat and river drought are straining Europe’s energy infrastructure, especially nuclear facilities that rely on abundant cooling water.

Entities: Bełchatów Power Plant · Enea Wytwarzanie · European heatwave · France · Hungary · Kozienice Power Plant · Krško Nuclear Plant · Miłosz Motyka · PGE GiEK · Paks nuclear plant · Poland · Polish government

Claims

What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.

[● 7 SOURCES] Hungary's Paks nuclear plant reduced to one operating block because of record‑low Danube water levels. (existing)
[● 4 SOURCES] France's EDF shut several reactors at Golfech because river temperatures exceeded 28 °C. (existing)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Italy's national electricity price (PUN) rose to its highest level since January 2023 due to heat‑driven demand and supply constraints. (Italian article)
[● 5 SOURCES] Extreme heat and low river levels have forced shutdowns or reduced output at multiple European nuclear reactors. (All articles)
[● 2 SOURCES] Poland's two nuclear plants reduced capacity because of low Vistula river levels. (Swedish articles)
[● 2 SOURCES] Experts say nuclear plants are not designed for such heat and outages could increase three‑ to four‑fold by 2050. (Swedish articles)
[● 4 SOURCES] Romania's Cernavoda nuclear plant required water diversion via controlled explosions, yet one reactor still stopped. (Swedish, French, and US articles)
[● 2 SOURCES] Two reactors at Chooz and one at Cattenom were stopped on August 4 due to low Meuse and Moselle river flow. (existing)
[● 2 SOURCES] Poland's government convened a crisis mini‑staff due to extreme heat. (existing)
[○ 1 SOURCE] Red heat alerts were issued for 27 of Europe’s largest cities. (European weather agencies)
[● 7 SOURCES] Romania's Cernavodă nuclear plant is operating only one reactor due to low Danube water. (existing)
[● 2 SOURCES] Hungary reduced the Paks nuclear plant to one operating block because of low Danube water levels. (Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar)