The scarcity of rainfall and continued drought have impacted the power supply system in Europe, especially nuclear power and hydropower plants, leading to a significant increase of electricity prices.
In France, where nuclear power contributes to more than 60 percent of the country's power generation, there are 57 nuclear reactors built on the riverside or the seaside to meet the demand for enough cooling water.
However, the hot weather has caused an increase in river water temperature and a decrease in water flow, forcing electric utility company EDF to reduce the power operation of some nuclear power units and even temporarily shut them down.
"So far, EDF's discussion is (about) building cooling towers, these towers that you often see emitting what is essentially water vapor. But the problem with that is that it means a very significant loss of water from evaporation either from the rivers or the groundwater in an increasingly water-scarce world," said Paul Dorfman, a scholar from the University of Sussex in the UK.
In Hungary, the Paks Nuclear Power Plant supplies about half of the country's electricity. Now, it is also in need of cooling water due to the low water level of the Danube River.
The Hungarian government has taken measures to raise the river water level to ensure the operation of the power plant, while the Danube River underwater diversion dam project is progressing as scheduled, and expected to be completed in a few weeks and raise the water level by one meter.
In Serbia, due to insufficient water storage in the Danube River, the Iron Gate 1 hydro-power plant, responsible for approximately 20 percent of the country's power generation, has run at round 40 percent of its capacity since the beginning of August.
In Austria, the power generation of hydropower plants along the Danube River in July decreased by about 30 percent compared with the same period in previous years, while the power generation of some small hydropower facilities dropped by nearly 50 percent, according to local power companies.
The falling power generation has driven up the price of electricity across Europe, while demand for air conditioning has driven up electricity consumption.
By July, as the heatwave continues, wholesale electricity prices in Italy and Spain are expected to reached their highest points since 2022-2023 winter gas crisis.
Continued drought impacts power supply in Europe
