Hungary shuts sole nuclear plant as Danube drought cuts cooling water, triggering energy crisis
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2 months · 12 summary articles
Hungary’s Paks nuclear power plant, the country’s sole nuclear facility, was fully shut down by Sunday as record-low Danube water levels left the plant without sufficient cooling capacity, according to multiple reports. The shutdown has left Hungary’s electricity grid under severe strain, with the plant generating no power as of Monday .
Prime Minister Péter Magyar warned citizens in a video address that coordinated action and voluntary energy cuts were necessary to avoid more severe consequences. He urged energy-intensive industries, such as battery and auto manufacturers, to reduce consumption and called on households to avoid using air conditioning and charging electric vehicles during peak evening hours . The government also approved emergency measures allowing the grid operator MAVIR to impose temporary blackouts on major industrial consumers if demand does not drop .
MAVIR projected a peak demand of 7,282 megawatts for Monday evening, just 3% below the summer record of 7,488 megawatts set on June 29, despite Paks currently contributing no power. The grid has so far held, with actual consumption falling below forecasts as industries and households heeded calls to cut usage . In Budapest, Mayor Gergely Karácsony ordered the shutdown of decorative lighting on historic buildings and replaced some electric trolleybuses with diesel alternatives to conserve energy .
The crisis extends beyond Hungary. Romania’s Cernavoda nuclear plant, which relies on the Danube for cooling, had already shut down two reactors due to low water levels. On Monday, the Romanian military detonated 180 kilograms of explosives to remove a rock formation blocking water flow to the plant, a measure intended to divert more water to the facility . Romania is now importing electricity from Bulgaria, which has surplus capacity due to its expanding nuclear program at Kozloduy .
In Romania, Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan announced emergency measures allowing authorities to notify major energy consumers 24 hours in advance of mandatory consumption limits, depending on their sector and technology . Bolojan also dismissed conspiracy theories circulating online that suggested upstream countries were deliberately withholding Danube water .
The drought has also triggered water restrictions in Hungarian cities. Pécs introduced a first-level water restriction on Monday, banning the filling of swimming pools, watering gardens with hoses, and washing vehicles with potable water. Debrecen followed with similar measures .
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