Low river levels force 90 percent of small hydropower plants in Czechia to stop

Around 90 percent of the more than 1,400 small hydropower plants in Czechia have stopped producing electricity due to low river levels, according to the Czech Chamber for Renewable Energy Sources. Hydropower normally accounts for just three to five percent of the country’s electricity, so the drop is not expected to threaten the power supply.

Large hydropower plants are still operating, although some have reduced their output. Overall, hydropower production fell by around 17 percent in the first half of the year. The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute says this is one of the driest years since 1961, with rainfall so far at just 66 percent of the 1991–2020 average.