Central and eastern Europe is confronting serious energy shortages as record low water levels on the Danube River disrupt nuclear and hydroelectric power generation across multiple countries. Romania’s military took drastic action by detonating a rocky outcrop exposed by low water levels on a branch of the Danube, aiming to restore cooling water flow to the Cernavoda nuclear plant. The Cernavoda facility, which typically supplies around one-fifth of Romania’s total electricity, draws all of its cooling water directly from the Danube River. Soldiers detonated a rock approximately 50 kilometers upstream, with the resulting debris to be sunk at a strategic location to help raise water levels in the affected stretch. Caretaker Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan confirmed that carmakers Dacia and Ford had agreed to suspend production in Romania until August 19, following a crisis meeting with representatives of energy-intensive industries.