Romania blasts Danube rock to save nuclear plant from drought shutdown as Hungary faces similar crisis

On Monday 3 August 2026, Romanian naval forces detonated 180 kg of explosives in the Bala canal of the Danube, blasting a large rock that had restricted water flow. The controlled explosion, reported by the Adevărul newspaper, sent a tower of water into the air. The operation aimed to redirect water into the old Danube channel and raise critically low levels at the cooling intake of the Cernavodă nuclear power plant, which depends entirely on the river. The Danube is currently carrying only one-third of its normal volume for this time of year, and forecasts predict further declines in the coming days.

The explosion and diversion plan

The blast occurred near Izvoarele, roughly 50 kilometres upstream from Cernavodă. Over the next two days, barges will transport the debris to a designated spot in a Danube arm, where it will be dumped to form a temporary dam. This should force more water toward the plant's sole remaining operational reactor. Defence Minister Radu Miruță described the explosion as a success and noted that the army had attempted to remove that rock for 30 years without success. The operation also improves navigability for shipping on the Danube.

Any day past Wednesday or Thursday that the nuclear power plant functions is a gain. A day of it functioning is three times more efficient than the costs of this operation.

Miruță cautioned that if the diversion fails, the plant must be completely shut down by Thursday 6 August.

Cernavodă plant at risk

One of Cernavodă's two reactors was shut down last week because of insufficient cooling water. Authorities initially considered taking the second reactor offline as well but opted instead for the river diversion. The remaining reactor has been running at reduced capacity. The plant normally produces about 10 million megawatt-hours annually, covering 20% of Romania's electricity needs. Its first CANDU reactor began operating in 1996, the second in 2007. Romania declared a nationwide state of emergency for all of August, citing the drop in electricity output. Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced that car manufacturers Dacia and Ford had temporarily halted production, and the government appealed to the public to conserve electricity.

Hungary's Paks plant also threatened

Downstream in Hungary, the Paks nuclear station, the country's only atomic plant, is confronting a parallel emergency. The 44-year-old Soviet-era facility normally supplies nearly half of Hungary's electricity. Since Monday, it has been operating at less than half capacity, with just one turbine running. Prime Minister Péter Magyar said a full shutdown is expected next week and could last for several weeks. Earlier, authorities had warned that Paks might have to close as early as Sunday 2 August, but that deadline was postponed; the plant may now be able to continue at reduced output until Monday or Tuesday (4–5 August). The government has urged voluntary power savings. Pharmaceutical firm Richter announced it would cut its electricity use by more than half over the next three weeks. If voluntary measures are insufficient, mandatory consumption restrictions may be ordered. Serbia has also called on citizens to save electricity.

Wider energy crisis

The record-low Danube levels, driven by a prolonged heatwave and drought across Europe, have disrupted river transport, water supplies, and power generation. Both Romania and Hungary are increasingly dependent on expensive electricity imports at a time when air-conditioning demand is surging. This is the first instance in which nuclear reactors cooled by the Danube have been forced offline due to low water.