Levels on the Danube river around Romania's nuclear power plant will continue to fall this week, its water management agency said on Monday, despite urgent measures to re-direct cooling water to its sole working reactor.
Record-low water levels on the Danube have already forced the shutdown of one of the EU country's two reactors, which normally account for 20 per cent of all its power needs, and authorities have taken steps to ensure the other turbine kept running.
Europe has been ravaged by record-breaking heat and destructive wildfires this summer, with France and Spain scorched while Romania and Hungary had to cut their power output and rely on costly imports.
Romania has blown up a rock obstruction, dredged the river bed and sunk four barges filled with rocks to create a dike and redirect flows towards the nuclear power plant in Cernavoda.
The measures had lifted water levels around the reactor by four centimetres (1.57 inches) on Sunday, Romania's energy ministry said, ensuring it could operate for a further nine days.
But on Monday, the state water management agency said updated forecasts showed rain upstream would not make a difference for Romania, the last country through which the Danube flows before it enters the Black Sea.
The agency said the level of the Danube at its Romanian entry point would remain at an all-time low for the next seven days, while levels around the plant would fall until August 16.
In a statement it said it recommended authorities, "continue to dredge the river bed in access areas to ensure water flows towards the plant in Cernavoda".
Romania's government on Monday allotted additional funds to the transport ministry for dredging works to deepen the river bed on the branch where the reactor sits.
Romania has already declared a state of energy emergency throughout August and asked companies and households to voluntarily reduce consumption during peak evening hours.
Romania relies on a mix of gas, coal, hydro, nuclear and renewables for electricity generation but needs billions of euros in investment to replace ageing facilities and boost battery storage and grid interconnections.
(Reporting by Luiza Ilie; Editing by Alexander Smith)