Hungary to shut down sole nuclear plant due to low Danube water levels

Budapest authorities announced the immediate shutdown of Hungary’s sole nuclear facility, the Paks Power Plant, after the Danube River – the plant’s primary source of cooling water – fell to a record‑low level. Measurements taken on Tuesday showed the river’s flow at 1.2 m³/s, far below the 2.5 m³/s threshold required for safe reactor cooling, prompting operators to activate emergency protocols mandated by the national nuclear safety regulator.

The shutdown affects all four VVER‑440 reactors at Paks, which together generate roughly 30 percent of the country’s electricity. Grid operators have already begun diverting power from fossil‑fuel plants and arranging imports from neighboring states to mitigate the shortfall. Officials warned that the reduced cooling capacity could persist throughout the summer, as prolonged drought conditions linked to an unusually hot European heatwave have kept Danube levels low for several weeks. The Ministry of Innovation and Technology said it is monitoring river levels continuously and will reassess the plant’s status once water flow returns to safe limits.

Energy analysts expect the interruption to be temporary, but the incident underscores the vulnerability of nuclear facilities to climate‑induced water scarcity. The government has pledged to accelerate investments in alternative cooling solutions and to strengthen regional cooperation on water management, aiming to prevent similar disruptions in the future.