Romanians Urged to Use Less Electricity in Heatwave as Danube Levels Drop

The Romanian government on Thursday urged households and businesses to reduce electricity consumption between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. until the end of the month, to ease pressure on the power system during the ongoing heatwave. “Keeping electricity consumption as low as possible during the evening hours will not affect essential services, such as healthcare,” Romania’s interim Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan said. “We are going through a difficult period that could last another one to two weeks, and we are compelled to take these measures,” he added. The capital, Bucharest, has already reduced street lighting by one-third in the evenings and switched off illumination at landmark buildings and museums overnight to save electricity. Other cities have introduced similar measures. Earlier this week, the country’s largest energy-intensive companies, including car manufacturers, steel producers, fertilizer plants and other major industrial consumers, suspended operations or scaled back production to reduce pressure on the power grid. A prolonged heatwave and record-low water levels on the Danube have forced Romania to restrict water use for agricultural irrigation, disrupting river transport, tourism and the energy sector. The authorities have also shut down one reactor at the country’s only nuclear power plant, at Cernavoda, which relies on Danube water for cooling. Low water levels on the Danube are expected to continue affecting operations at the Cernavoda nuclear plant at least until mid-August. The government declared a nationwide energy alert on July 31, which will remain in force throughout August.