A heat wave and drought sweeping Europe have pushed the Danube River to a record low, putting Hungary's only nuclear power plant at risk of a full shutdown for the first time in 44 years. In response, the Hungarian government asked corporations and households to save electricity to cope with the power shortage. Samsung SDI(006400) was also among the corporations that cut power use.
On the 2nd (local time), Reuters said the Hungarian government is preparing for a possible full shutdown of the Paks nuclear power plant as the Danube's level keeps dropping due to record heat and drought. Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Facebook that "the next five days will be the most critical," noting that "with 104-degree heat forecast, the Paks plant may not be able to generate power."
The Paks plant has 2 gigawatts (GW) of capacity and is Hungary's only nuclear facility, producing about half of the country's electricity. It uses Danube water for cooling, but as the river fell to a record low, the operating rate as of the day dipped to just over 10%. The Hungarian water resources authority expects the level to fall further in the coming days.
Magyar said the plant could remain offline for weeks. However, he explained that whether and when to shut down would be decided by the plant's operators under safety rules.
Amid this, the Hungarian government issued a nationwide call for power savings. With households and more than 300 corporations voluntarily joining, electricity demand fell by about 400 megawatts (MW). Energy Minister Istvan Kapitany named as participating corporations Hungary's energy company MOL, Korean battery company Samsung SDI, German carmaker Audi (AUDI), and Japanese auto parts maker Denso (DENSO).
So far, the Hungarian government has not imposed mandatory power-saving measures on corporations. However, it said if conditions worsen, it could introduce power-use limits as early as the 3rd.
The heat wave is affecting not only the nuclear plant but also Hungary's logistics and tourism. Low water on the Danube has disrupted vessel traffic, and more than 100 cities and towns, including the outskirts of Budapest, are enforcing water-use restrictions. Around the same time, Romania also halted reactor operations at the Cernavoda nuclear plant due to the Danube's lower level, and across Europe, scarce river water is disrupting hydropower generation and freight transport.
According to the opposition Tisza party, if the plant stops, reliance on expensive imported electricity would cause economic losses, including up to 200 billion forints (about 906 billion won) in additional expense for Hungary. Industry watchers say that as extreme weather repeats heat waves and droughts across Europe, ensuring operational stability at power facilities that use rivers for cooling and managing manufacturing supply chains will emerge as new challenges.