Hungary will, for the first time ever, fully halt operations at its only nuclear power plant on the 2nd (local time). An extreme drought has lowered the Danube River's water level, disrupting the supply of cooling water needed to remove heat from the reactors. With this move, more than 40% of Hungary's total power generation capacity will disappear immediately, raising fears of a severe national energy crisis.
On the 1st, Hungarian authorities said they decided to stop operations at the Paks nuclear power plant after the Danube's water level, needed to cool four reactors, fell below the minimum threshold. Prime Minister Peter Magyar said, "At 1:30 a.m. on the 2nd, we will shut down one of the reactors that was operating, and the remaining one will also stop operating on the same day."
A nuclear power plant controls the massive heat generated during fission. To do so, it continuously pumps large amounts of water from nearby rivers or the sea and uses it as cooling water to remove reactor heat. But a recent combination of extreme heat and drought across inland Europe has sharply lowered the Danube's water level, leaving the plant unable to secure even the minimum intake needed to safely maintain operations. Running a reactor under a shortage of cooling water risks a major safety accident, so operations appear to have been preemptively halted.
The Paks nuclear plant, located south of the capital Budapest, began operations in the 1980s and is a 44-year-old aging facility. Still, it produces as much as 2,000 megawatts (MW) of power and remains a key piece of infrastructure supporting Hungary's grid. Hungary now has to depend heavily on costly power imports to meet peak summer demand. Prime Minister Magyar warned, "If the Danube's water level continues to drop, the plant shutdown could last for weeks and place a heavy burden on the grid." With another heat wave forecast across Central Europe, Hungary is said to be facing its worst energy crisis in decades.
With the grid at risk of overload, the Hungarian government has entered an emergency response posture. Authorities urged major industrial facilities with heavy power consumption, such as car manufacturers and battery plants, to cut electricity use. Hungary is a European hub for auto parts and battery production, with numerous global corporations operating factories. If power restrictions drag on, analysts say a decline in operating rates across local industry will be unavoidable. The Hungarian government also passed a bill allowing it, if necessary, to convert voluntary corporate cuts into mandatory measures. It also included wide-ranging curbs in its contingency plans to protect power supplies for essential facilities such as hospitals.
This situation is expected to stand as a clear example of how extreme weather events such as record heat and drought can seriously threaten Europe's energy infrastructure. Water shortages, record high temperatures, and wildfires are straining the continent's entire power system, damaging crops, and adding to the economic expense of climate change. The vulnerabilities in Hungary's water resources management system were also laid bare. On the 1st, Prime Minister Magyar said thousands of residents in Szentendre, along the Danube north of Budapest, suffered water shutoffs due to a surge in demand.