Hungary’s Only Nuclear Plant to Shut Down for First Time in 44 Years

Hungary will shut down its only nuclear power plant for the first time in 44 years after record low water levels in the Danube River, caused by prolonged drought and an intense Europe-wide heatwave, Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced on Sunday.

According to AFP, the unprecedented shutdown underscores the growing impact of extreme weather on Europe’s energy infrastructure.

Located in Paks, south of Budapest, the nuclear power plant supplies nearly one-third of Hungary’s electricity. The facility depends on water from the Danube River to cool its reactors. However, months of below-average rainfall since May, coupled with successive heatwaves, have pushed the river to record low levels.

In a post on X, Prime Minister Magyar said one of the plant’s remaining operating units would be shut down at 1:30 a.m., reducing the station’s output to 240 megawatts.

He added that the remaining unit would also be taken offline the following day, marking the first complete shutdown of the facility since it began operations 44 years ago.

The plant’s operator had warned on Friday that if the Danube’s water level continued to decline, a full shutdown would become unavoidable.

Hungary’s national meteorological service, HungaroMet, forecasts temperatures exceeding 40°C in the coming days, with highs expected to reach 42°C on Thursday, matching the country’s all-time summer temperature record.