A lot of plants had to be reduced in power output and are running only because of special allowances to heat the river water hotter than normally allowed. Meanwhile rivers like the Rhine and the Loire are at record low levels, in many places you can walk large parts of the river bed leaving only a narrow par where there is water. Shipping on the Rhine might have to be stopped in a week or so.

The government is advising against walking in the river beds, as people might step on WW2 ammunition which had not exploded.