Record-breaking high temperatures across Europe and the UK might put electricity generation under pressure, and worsen the already dire predictions for the coming winter, experts have said. 

Ongoing heatwaves have taken their toll on energy production activities, from hydropower to nuclear reactors. While the first relies exclusively on water to generate electricity, nuclear facilities are also reliant on this resource, whose use has been restricted due to the drought. Moreover, the performance of other energy sources such as solar panels has also been affected by the high temperatures. 

Overall, experts have told the BBC that electricity from hydropower has dropped by 20 per cent.

"Once the water in the rivers is very low and very hot, basically you have to stop cooling down nuclear power plants. That's because the water that's released is dangerous for fish and other species in the rivers," said Prof Sonia Seneviratne, from ETH Zurich....