In brief | 5 August ‘26

Montel: Bookings for German H2 pipeline network double to near 6 GW

Capacity bookings for the large industrial clusters on Germany’s planned cross-country hydrogen pipeline network have doubled since mid-May to almost 6 gigawatt (GW), the country’s gas transmission system operators said. 

The Guardian: Major oil firms make $93bn profits amid war and climate crisis

Eight of the biggest oil companies amassed profits of more than $90bn (£67bn) in just three months as the Iran conflict sent energy prices soaring and the emissions-fuelled climate crisis caused deadly heatwaves.

Bloomberg: Romania blasts rock to redirect Danube flow to nuclear plant

Romania’s military took unprecedented action to boost water flows toward the country’s sole nuclear power plant by detonating a rock formation in the Danube River.

Bloomberg: Rhine falls to lowest since 1880, threatening European trade

The Rhine River’s water levels dropped to the lowest in nearly 150 years as hot, dry weather grips Europe, threatening to disrupt a crucial route for transporting coal, fuel and industrial commodities across a large swath of the continent.

The Guardian (Opinion): Europe’s rivers are running dry, and the knock-on effects are disastrous

Droughts that were once a century now happen every year, and the impact on wildlife, industrial output and culture itself is catastrophic.