Romania blasts rock to divert water from drought-hit Danube to nuclear reactor

Hungary and Romania face energy crisis as record-low river levels force atomic power plants to reduce output Romanian naval forces carried out a controlled explosion to help redirect vital cooling water from the drought-hit Danube to the country’s last working nuclear ⁠reactor, while neighbouring Hungary ​said it may be able to eke out two more days of power from its only atomic plant. Hungary and Romania have been forced to shut down nuclear reactors cooled by the Danube for the first time, as record-low water levels deepen fears of an energy crisis across the region. Romania has declared a nationwide state of emergency throughout August stemming from a decline in electricity production after record low Danube river levels led to the shutdown at the Cernavodǎ nuclear plant. The Danube operation used 180kg of explosives, the Adevărul newspaper reported, to move a large rock restricting the flow of water in a blast that sent a tower of water ⁠into the air. The extraordinary measure underlined the scale of the crisis in Europe, where heat and drought have lowered river levels and raised concerns about water supplies, river transport and power generation. “Any day past Wednesday or Th