Is the energy stability of Serbia threatened due to the low water level of the Danube

The only economical way to deliver all bulk cargo is by ship.

That is why the whole world has found itself in an energy crisis in recent months transportation of oil and gas through the Strait of Hormuz stopped. According to similar logic, Serbia could find itself in a problem due to the historically low water level of the Danube.

"The low water level of the Danube can be a problem for the supply of energy to Serbia," Nebojša Atanacković, honorary president of the Union of Serbian Employers and former majority owner of JSC Nafta, told Vreme. "The ironworks in Smederevo are supplied with coal and ore via the Danube, and oil derivatives also arrive partly via this route. Diesel comes mainly, but also gasoline in certain quantities."

Numerous pumps in Srbija are supplied by the Danube, both from the north and from the south. The general director of MOL Serbia, Milenko Janković, said in June that this company has been supplying from Constanta, Romania, since the introduction of sanctions against NIS. He then explained that rail transport greatly increases the price of the final product.

"When the water level is low, barges can transport 30 to 40 percent of their total capacity," notes Atanacković.

Thus, only a quarter of the planned import of oil derivatives into Serbia was realized for July, the Ministry of Mining and Energy announced. The causes, as they said, are the low water level of the Danube, but also disruptions in the global market and high prices.

The extremely low water level of the Danube can threaten the operation of the cooling system in the thermal power plants in Kostolac, which has already led to a decrease in their electricity production. The EPS said that the "Đerdap 1" hydropower plant has been supplying a third of the average daily production to the power system in recent days.

Example 2022: How coal will be imported

The new heat wave does not favor the low water level at all. Last year, for the sake of comparison, electricity consumption in Serbia increased during the hottest summer period by 15-20 percent compared to the same period in 2024, according to the data of Elektromreža Srbije, and as a rule, it increases every year. The main reason for the increase in electricity consumption is the increased use of air conditioners due to the tropical heat that begins at the end of July.

During the great drought of 2022, Serbia and Bulgaria urgently signed an Agreement on cooperation in the technical maintenance of the Danube waterway, especially to ensure the smooth transportation of coal for the needs of energy stability.

This problem then made it difficult to procure coal for the coming winter, because the largest quantities of coal are delivered by water, namely the Danube and the Sava from Bulgaria and Romania. In addition to the import of coal, the suspension of navigation on the Danube in Bulgaria also caused an interruption in the supply of Eurodiesel from the Port of Constanta.

Critical hydrological situation

The Government of Serbia is also dealing with this problem.

Today, July 29, the Republic Headquarters for Emergency Situations considered the critical hydrological situation caused by the "historically low water level of the Danube", as well as its consequences for the functioning of the Danube-Tisa-Danube Hydrosystem and possible measures to alleviate them.

It was established that the current hydrological situation requires continuous monitoring and coordinated action by competent institutions.

"At the same time, competent institutions will continue with increased monitoring of the impact of low water levels on the energy system, navigation and hydrological conditions, in order to take timely measures in accordance with the development of the situation," the announcement reads.

The session was chaired by the Minister of the Interior, Ivica Dacic, who said that this is not an issue of one institution, but of the entire state system. Dacic added that the state will do everything in its power to protect citizens, the economy and natural resources, and numerous ministers, a representative of the Ministry of Interior and directors of public companies were present.

Romania shut down the nuclear reactor

Photo: AP Photo/Nicolae Dumitrache

The water level of the Danube in In Romania, it is at its lowest level since 1996.

That is why the Romanian state company Nuklearelektrika, on Tuesday, July 28, in accordance with the controlled procedures applied in the case of extremely low water levels, shut down the reactor at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant, the Ministry of Energy announced, stating that the aim of the measure is to protect the cooling system.

The reactor was temporarily shut down to prevent possible damage to the cooling system, which uses water from the Danube, the ministry noted.

A problem for tourism too

The passenger cruiser "Viking Ulur", which was sailing under the Swiss flag with almost 240 passengers and crew members, ran aground on the Danube near Salce in the Romanian district of Mehedinci due to the extremely low water level of that river, reports RTS.

There were 186 passengers and 52 crew members on the stranded ship, and the border police started evacuating the passengers last night, who then took buses to Bucharest.

The cruiser was supposed to dock in Vidin, and after it ran aground, the crew hired another vessel to transport passengers. However, it did not manage to get close enough for the safe transfer of people, so members of the border police were involved in the evacuation, who transported the passengers to safety in patrol boats.

The ship sailed from the port of Drobeta-Turnu Severin on Monday evening, and during the voyage it got stuck in the middle of the riverbed in the area of ​​Salča, known for its numerous sandbars.

Real journalism costs money, and we will not be bought by tycoons and corporations. Support us with a one-time or monthly donation. The time for it is now!