To give you
an idea about the challenge Romania and Hungary are
facing, the Danube’s water flow has fallen to 1,500 cubic meters per
second in Romania, less than a third of its July average.
An aerial
view shows the splitting point of Danube with Bala branch (L) and Old Danube
(R), the place where a controlled underwater explosion took place on the
riverbed of the Danube River in Izvoarele village. Photograph: Daniel
Mihăilescu/AFP/Getty ImagesShare
The
backstory behind this explosion is that last Friday, Romania has
declared a nationwide state of emergency throughout August stemming from a
decline in electricity production after record low Danube river levels
disrupted power generation.
The peak of
the current heatwave is expected on Wednesday and Thursday, with temperatures
set to cross into 40s C and get close to all time records.
People walk
on a bank of sand on the Danube River as usually submerged areas are exposed
due to extreme low levels of the water following an extended period of drought
in Oltenita, Romania. Photograph: Vadim Ghirdă/APShare
Here’s a
better look at the impressive controlled explosion in Romania…
Romanian
navy attempts Danube diversion with controlled explosions
Updated at 10.34 BST
Romanian
army carries out controlled explosion to divert water, help cool nuclear power
plant
Meanwhile
in Romania, the Romanian naval forces carried out a controlled explosion to
divert a large volume of water to the Old Danube and the Cernavodă nuclear
power plant to help with its cooling.
The Romanian
Navy detonates underwater explosives during a controlled demolition of
submerged rocks to improve water flow to the Cernavodă Nuclear Power Plant amid
exceptionally low water levels on the Danube River, in Izvoarele,
Romania. Photograph: Andreea Alexandru/AP
Some 180 kg
of explosives were used today, Adevărul reported,
to move a large rock restricting the flow of water.
Acting
defence minister Radu Miruță hailed the operation as a
success, saying it will help with cooling of the plant and water transport on
the river.
Given the
continuing extreme weather conditions, the Cernavodă plant may still have to
temporarily suspend its operations at some point, but any extra day of its work
is worth more than the cost of the explosion, he said.
Updated
at 10.20 BST
Record
low water levels affect transport of goods, energy security
Record
low water levels in Europe’s major rivers have curtailed the transport of
goods, reduced electricity output and shrunk company earnings, stoking fears
about the economic impact of searing heat and erratic rainfall, Reuters reported.
People walk
on the exposed riverbed of the Danube River in Dunaszentbenedek,
Hungary. Photograph: Xinhua/Shutterstock
From the bustling port of Rotterdam to hydropower plants in Serbia, waterways have become a less
reliable way to transport goods such as grains and oil, or to produce
much-needed electricity when millions are seeking to cool their homes.
“It’s
affecting not one region like we’ve seen in the past, but the whole European landscape,” said Alessandro Armenia, a power analyst
at commodities data and analytics firm Kpler.
“Given
the current dynamics, it means either we’re going to see blackouts or
we need to invest way more.”
At
Djerdap 1, Serbia’s largest hydropower plant, output has fallen to 20% of
capacity, the
plant’s production director Davor Maljoković told Reuters, as
the once broad shipping channel beside it has shrunk to expose sandbanks and
gravel bars.
The lack of
water has also disrupted cooling systems at Serbia’s Kostolac
coal-fired power plants, forcing them to cut output, Serbia’s state
EPS power utility said.
Romania’s
state nuclear power producer Nuclearelectrica also had to shut one of its two
reactors earlier this week for the same reason, with the second expected to
soon follow.
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