Drought shuts down production in 90% of Czech hydro plants
14. 8. 2026 / Albín Sybera
čas čtení
2 minuty
Severe drought and ensuing low water level in the Czech rivers forced the curtailment or shutdown of most of the hydropower plants in the country.
Of the more than 1,400 small hydropower plants about 90% shutdown electricity production in response to the low water levels, Czech Radio (CRo) reported, referring to the Czech Chamber for Renewable Energy Sources and the majority state owned energy utility ČEZ.
"We estimate that these days about 90% of small hydro power plants are shut," Vladimír Zachoval of small water hydro power plants association was quoted as saying by CRo on August 13.
"Mainly
large hydro power plants beneath the large dams, where the needed flow
can be sustained thanks to regulated outflows, remain operational," he
added, noting that "in most Czech reivers the water is not sufficient
for basic operations".
As IntelliNews reported in July, Czechia generated only 12.7% of its electricity from renewable resources in 1Q - the lowest number of all European Union member states, and hydro power accounts for only about 3-5% of the country's electricity, CRo noted, adding that the drop in output won't affect the power production in the country.
Hydropower production fell by around 17% in the first half of the year, CRo also noted.
The country is experiencing one of the driest years since 1961, with rainfall at just "66% of the 1991–2020 average," and the country's rivers hit record low levels already last month, as IntelliNews reported .
The level of the largest Czech river Elbe (Labe) dropped to 125 centimeters at the end of July, which is below the river's drought level of 133cm, online news outlet Novinky.cz reported. Similar situation is on other major Czech rivers as the country is coping with drought conditions since spring.
The outlet released photographs of the river at the regional capital Ústí nad Labem and its surroundings, just before the river enters Germany and continues to Dresden.
"It is possible to walk over the river bed," the Novinky.cz wrote, adding that "to children from surroundings lookouts Labe appears more as a creek" and that "normally, four times more water runs through here".
Labe is 370.74 kilometres long in Czechia and its total length is 1,094km when it empties into the North Sea northwest of Hamburg, making it one of the major European rivers.
As IntelliNews reported in July, Czechia generated only 12.7% of its electricity from renewable resources in 1Q - the lowest number of all European Union member states, and hydro power accounts for only about 3-5% of the country's electricity, CRo noted, adding that the drop in output won't affect the power production in the country.
Hydropower production fell by around 17% in the first half of the year, CRo also noted.
The country is experiencing one of the driest years since 1961, with rainfall at just "66% of the 1991–2020 average," and the country's rivers hit record low levels already last month, as IntelliNews reported .
The level of the largest Czech river Elbe (Labe) dropped to 125 centimeters at the end of July, which is below the river's drought level of 133cm, online news outlet Novinky.cz reported. Similar situation is on other major Czech rivers as the country is coping with drought conditions since spring.
The outlet released photographs of the river at the regional capital Ústí nad Labem and its surroundings, just before the river enters Germany and continues to Dresden.
"It is possible to walk over the river bed," the Novinky.cz wrote, adding that "to children from surroundings lookouts Labe appears more as a creek" and that "normally, four times more water runs through here".
Labe is 370.74 kilometres long in Czechia and its total length is 1,094km when it empties into the North Sea northwest of Hamburg, making it one of the major European rivers.
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