The Stream, May 17: Energy for Europe

A five-month drought has gripped China’s Hubei Province at the source of the central line of the South-North Water Transfer Project, UPI reports. Read more about the project on Circle of Blue.

Although the prolonged dry spell in France this spring has not affected the country’s nuclear power output, Electricite de France SA — Europe’s biggest power generator — plans to rely on its seaside reactors, as the drought is reducing the river water for cooling inland plants, according to Bloomberg.

French energy company Total will form a joint venture with Exxon Mobil to explore the shale reserves in Poland, which is estimated to have about 187 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable unconventional gas deposits, UPI reports.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has vowed to wean Germany from nuclear power, and a newly appointed committee has said that the country should close all of its nuclear power plants by 2021 and rely entirely on other forms of energy. But The New York Times notes some inconsistencies in Merkel’s energy policy.

The Economist reports on the growing number of Israeli companies in the water sector. Can Israel become the Silicon Valley of water technology?

The Stream is a daily digest spotting global water trends. To get more water news, follow Circle of Blue on Twitter and sign up for our newsletter.