Hungary to shut down sole nuclear power plant as Danube falls to record low

Hungary's prime minister has warned the country is facing the "most critical five days ahead" with its sole nuclear power plant expected to be shut down this week due to record-low water levels of the River Danube.

Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Monday the 2-gigawatt Paks power plant would operate at reduced capacity until it is completely shut down as a new heatwave looms.

The plant, which uses the waters of the Danube as a coolant, generates about half of the country's electricity.

As of Sunday, it was running at just over 10% of its capacity after the Danube fell to a record low, as large parts of Europe have been hit by prolonged heat and drought.

The water authority in Hungary was projecting that ⁠the level of the Danube, which flows from Germany ⁠to the Black Sea, would drop further in the coming days.

"We are facing the most critical five days ‌ahead," Mr Magyar said in a Facebook video at the weekend.

"The power grid, our public services and ourselves will all come under ‌enormous strain," said Mr Magyar, who has warned that Paks, which runs four Russian-built reactors, could remain inactive for weeks.

In a later video, he said the decision on when to shut it down would be "made by the plant's management observing a strict security protocol".

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Mr Magyar said voluntary cuts in power usage by households and more than 300 ⁠companies, after a government appeal, had reduced demand by 400MW, ​easing some pressure on the grid.

"For the time being there is ​no need for mandatory restrictions in power consumption for companies," he said.

He added, however, that restrictions could be introduced at the start of this week if necessary.

(c) Sky News 2026: Hungary to shut down sole nuclear power plant as Danube falls to record low