After France or Switzerland, Romania must Shut Down its Only Nuclear Power Plant due to Lack of Water for Cooling

DROUGHT: Several European countries must limit or shut down nuclear power plants due, in particular, to the historic drought of rivers, including the Danube

Summer 2026 is marked by extreme climatic and environmental conditions in Europe, leading to slowdowns or even the shutdown of nuclear power plants. In Romania, the national company Nuclearelectrica announced this Thursday that it had started procedures to shut down unit 2 of the Cernavoda nuclear power plant, due to “the drop in the water level of the Danube”. This plant, the only one that Romania owns, had already shut down one of its two reactors at the end of July due to a lack of hydraulic resources contributing to its cooling. While it usually provides a fifth of the country’s total electricity production, this complete shutdown constitutes a first since the heatwave of 2003.

The flow of the Danube has fallen to a historic low following heat waves and a lack of precipitation across theEurope. Des alternative energy sources, in particular wind production, as well as imports, must ensure electricity supply, but the Romanian authorities reiterated a call for “responsible consumption”. They did not indicate a date for a resumption of activities.

In Hungary

Hungary has so far managed to avoid the complete shutdown of its only nuclear power plant, in Paks. This is also cooled by the waters of the Danube. But Paks, whose production of the four nuclear reactors usually covers around a third of Hungary’s electricity needs, has already been partially shut down since the end of July.

In Switzerland

In Switzerland, the operator Axpo shut down the Beznau nuclear power plant on June 26 to prevent the Aare, used for cooling, from heating up excessively during periods of high heat.

Environmental regulations set a temperature limit for cooling water discharges in order to preserve aquatic ecosystems. When the upstream water temperature rises too high, the operator must restrict production or shut down the reactor.

In France

Due to the rise in the temperature of the Rhône, the Nuclear Safety Authority (ASNR) had to grant a temporary exemption from adjusting the thermal discharge limits to avoid a shutdown of the Bugey power plant (Ain) in July.

Since June, the Saint-Alban, Golfech and Tricastin, located on the Rhône, the Garonne and the Donzère-Mondragon canal have seen their production reduced or stopped on several occasions, linked to regulations on the temperature of watercourses or because of the critical drop in their level.

Wednesday, EDF recorded one downtime rate for environmental reasons reaching 20.4% its nominal power, with 13 reactors out of 57 shut down or restricted in France. Overall nuclear production thus fell by 3% in June and 6% in July 2026 under the combined effect of high heat and these environmental constraints. Problems of this type will multiply, scientists warn, as global warming leads to longer periods of drought.