Hungary Shuts Paks Plant, Cutting 40% of Power as Danube Levels Drop

3 articles · Updated · OilPrice.com · Aug 6

Paks went fully offline over the weekend for the first time in 44 years after the Danube fell too low to safely cool the reactors, abruptly removing about 40% of Hungary’s electricity supply.
€500 per megawatt-hour power prices followed the shutdown, and Prime Minister Péter Magyar warned an energy crisis could emerge from Monday as dangerous heat keeps driving air-conditioning demand higher.
France already curbed and shut reactors at a record pace last month for similar cooling-water shortages, showing the strain is spreading across Europe’s nuclear fleet and hydropower reserves.
Europe typically sees even lower river levels later in August and September, raising the risk that heat and water stress become a recurring threat to power security unless systems adapt.