Energy | An exceptionally dry and hot summer threatens to worsen Europe’s energy crisis

Tormenting a hot and dry summer threatens to worsen the energy crisis threatening many European countries.

The drought plaguing Europe may be worst in 500 years. At the same time, Europe is sliding into the worst energy crisis in its recent history after Russian energy flows were cut off both as a result of sanctions imposed by the EU and Russia’s countermeasures.

Energy prices have been in record readingswhen heat waves have increased demand and Russian gas supplies have decreased.

Dry summer has made it difficult, for example, to produce hydropower in Norway. of The New York Times according to Norway’s water reserves have fallen to their lowest level in 25 years.

The water level of the rivers and lakes has been low after a winter with little snow and an exceptionally dry spring, but the dry summer has worsened the problems.

This month, Norway’s reservoirs have been only 60 percent full, which is about ten percent less than the average of the previous two decades.

Some of the hydropower producers have cut their production to save water for the coming winter. Already earlier this year, Oslo residents have been urged to take shorter showers and avoid watering the lawn.

At the same time, the price of electricity has risen to record levels in Norway. Most of the country’s electricity is produced by hydropower. In addition, Norway is one of Europe’s largest electricity exporters. Norway already announced earlier this month that it is preparing to limit the export of electricity to Europeso that it can avoid a possible energy shortage at home.

Harsh the drought also causes difficulties for Germany’s energy production.

Due to the drought, the falling water level of the Rhine River threatens, for example, the operation of coal-fired power plants.

For example, Fortum’s German subsidiary Uniper has announcedthat it has to reduce the output of its two coal-fired power plants along the Rhine because not enough coal can be transported along the river.

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Germany’s energy policy has relied heavily on Russian natural gas. However, Russia has already reduced important natural gas flows for Germany several times during the current summer. As an emergency measure, the country has restarted its coal-fired power plants to secure energy supply, but may now find itself in a ditch.

Also In France, energy production is in serious trouble due to the hot summer.

According to The New York Times, some of the country’s nuclear power plants have had to temporarily suspend their operations because the cooling water of the power plants could not be discharged into the already warm rivers. The hot summer has raised the temperature of the water in the rivers, and strict nature conservation regulations have prevented the discharge of even warmer cooling water into the waterways.

Many of the country’s nuclear power plants have already been out of use due to maintenance work.

Earlier this month, France’s nuclear power regulator the authority granted five nuclear power plants a temporary exemption permit discharge cooling water into rivers to continue production, even though it might violate environmental norms.