by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Europe Bureau Chief

BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Hungary’s only nuclear power plant was operating at just over 10 percent of capacity Tuesday after narrowly avoiding an unprecedented complete shutdown, while neighboring Romania used military explosives to clear a rocky obstruction and improve water flow to its own nuclear station during an intense heatwave.

The crisis, driven by prolonged drought and record-low water levels in the Danube River, has strained electricity supplies across Central and Eastern Europe, forcing governments and major industries to cut power consumption.

With temperatures forecast to reach nearly 40 C (104 F) across parts of the region this week, authorities warned the prolonged heat would continue to put pressure on power generation and electricity grids.

Romania’s military detonated a rocky outcrop about 50 kilometers (30 miles) upstream from the Cernavodă nuclear power plant, which normally provides about one-fifth of the country’s electricity. The operation is part of a broader emergency effort, including constructing a temporary dike and sinking rock-filled barges, to divert more cooling water to the plant’s remaining operating reactor after one of its two units was shut down. Officials said the measures could extend operations by about a week.

DANUBE AT RECORD LOW

Romanian officials warned that if the emergency engineering works fail, the remaining reactor could also be forced offline later this week.

To reduce pressure on the electricity grid, carmakers Dacia and Ford suspended production until Aug. 19, while other energy-intensive industries were expected to follow.

In Hungary, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said the Paks nuclear power plant narrowly avoided a complete shutdown after Danube water levels rose slightly overnight. Only one of the station’s four reactors remained in operation Tuesday, leaving the plant at just over 10 percent of its normal generating capacity.

The government has urged industrial users to curb electricity demand and called on households to conserve power voluntarily. Electric-powered freight trains were also temporarily halted to reduce pressure on the grid.

REGIONAL IMPACT SEEN

Elsewhere, Serbia’s Iron Gate hydroelectric complex was operating at only about one-fifth of capacity because of the drought, while low water levels have also disrupted freight transport on the Danube and other major European waterways.

Meteorologists forecast continued hot and dry weather across much of the region this week, raising concerns that Europe’s energy and transport infrastructure will remain under severe pressure.

“We have entered the critical period. The network is stable, consumption is currently well below planned levels thanks to self-restraint,” Magyar said.

He thanked households and more than 300 companies for “voluntarily” reducing electricity use. He added that water-level forecasts had become “slightly more optimistic,” though officials cautioned that the coming days remain critical.

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