Low river levels are squeezing Europe's economy again
Extreme heat and drought have pushed the Rhine and Danube to historic lows, disrupting freight, industry and nuclear power output across the continent.
Persistent heat and drought this summer have driven water levels on the Rhine and Danube to some of their lowest points on record. At the Kaub measuring station on the Rhine, water depth fell to just 8 centimeters on August 18 — below the previous record set during 2018's drought.
The shortage is hitting three sectors at once: river-freight vessels are running at as little as 20% capacity, the Rhine-dependent chemical industry faces supply disruptions, and nuclear plants in Hungary and Romania that rely on Danube cooling water have cut output, forcing more expensive electricity imports at up to 2.5 times domestic production costs.
Coface economist Eve Barré warned the disruption is arriving earlier and more severely than in 2018, when Germany's low-water episode alone shaved an estimated 0.3-0.4 percentage points off GDP growth — a worrying signal for an already weak European economy.
Reporting by EKOIQ. Original (Turkish): https://www.ekoiq.com/nehirlerdeki-dusuk-su-seviyesi-avrupa-ekonomisini-baskiliyor/
This article was produced with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by an editor before publication.
