Hungary shuts nuclear plant due to drought

Governments throughout Central and Eastern Europe are implementing electricity‑saving measures as the Danube River reaches record low water levels, prompting concerns over a potential energy shortfall. National authorities have issued advisories urging reduced consumption, postponed non‑essential industrial operations, and, in some cases, activated emergency response plans to stabilize power supplies amid the drought‑induced strain on hydroelectric and thermal generation facilities.

In Hungary, the situation has become acute: the country’s sole nuclear power plant, which normally supplies roughly 50 percent of national electricity, was ordered to cease operations because the river’s diminished flow cannot provide sufficient cooling water for the reactors. The shutdown underscores the broader regional vulnerability of energy infrastructure to hydrological extremes and highlights the urgent need for coordinated conservation efforts to avert an energy crisis.