Record-low Danube water levels force Hungary to shut down its only nuclear plant

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced on Friday that the Paks nuclear power plant, located south of Budapest, will be taken offline next week due to the dramatic drop in the Danube's water level.

The plant is the only nuclear power station in Hungary and accounts for roughly 40% of the country's annual electricity generation. Its four Soviet-era reactors rely on Danube water for cooling. The operator had previously warned that a shutdown was unavoidable, and the station has already reduced its output in recent days.

Speaking at a press conference near the plant, Magyar said that according to current calculations, the shutdown could occur on Tuesday or Wednesday. He did not specify how long the pause might last.

Romania is facing a similar problem. It has already halted one of its nuclear reactors for the same reason and announced that a second one would also be shut down.

The Danube, which rises in Germany's Black Forest and flows through ten countries to the Black Sea, has fallen to record-low levels in some stretches due to a prolonged lack of rain and successive heat waves since May.

In response to the energy supply threat, the Hungarian government has urged businesses to cut electricity use. It has also banned open fires and ordered decorative lighting on public buildings to be switched off.