Romania sinks barges on Danube to raise flow for Cernavoda nuclear plant during historic drought
A severe drought across central Europe has driven the Rhine and Danube rivers to historic low water levels. At the Romanian border the Danube’s flow fell to about 1,400 m³/s, far below the August average of 3,900 m³/s. To keep the Cernavodă nuclear power plant – which supplies roughly 20 % of Romania’s electricity and has a capacity of 1,400 MW – from overheating, Romanian authorities launched an emergency operation on 7 August, sinking four barges loaded with rocks in the Danube’s Bala branch. The first two barges were submerged on Friday, with the remaining two scheduled for the following day, creating artificial thresholds to divert water toward the plant’s cooling intake.
The low flow is expected to remain around 1,400 m³/s until 13 August, after which a modest rise is forecast as precipitation moves through the Danube’s upper basin in Hungary and Austria. The Danube level at Cernavodă was recorded at –222 cm, down 4 cm from the previous day. The drought also hampers navigation on the Rhine, with water levels at key points such as Kaub in Germany falling to historic minima, raising concerns for freight transport and energy supply across the continent.
Entities: Apele Române · Bala branch · Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant · Danube River · European drought · Rhine River · Romania
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how well corroborated each claim is across sources.
- [● 2 SOURCES] The Rhine river reached historic low levels, affecting navigation at points such as Kaub in Germany. (European weather observatories and news reports)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The Danube level at Cernavodă was recorded at –222 cm, down 4 cm from the previous day. (Apele Române)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] One reactor at Cernavodă was shut down on 28 July due to low water levels. (Report)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Cernavodă nuclear plant provides about 20 % of Romania’s electricity and has an installed capacity of 1,400 MW. (Plant specifications cited in reports)
- [● 4 SOURCES] Romania sank four barges loaded with rocks in the Danube’s Bala branch to raise water level for cooling the Cernavodă nuclear plant. (Romanian Water Authority (Apele Române) and news reports)
- [○ 1 SOURCE] The operation began on Friday 7 August, with the first two barges sunk that day and the remaining two scheduled for the next day. (News reports)
- [● 4 SOURCES] The Danube’s flow at the Romanian border fell to about 1,400 m³/s, well below the August average of 3,900 m³/s. (National Water Administration of Romania and multiple reports)
- [● 2 SOURCES] The Danube flow is expected to stay near 1,400 m³/s until 13 August, after which a slight increase is forecast due to upstream precipitation in Hungary and Austria. (Hydrological forecasts)