Hungary Announces Unprecedented Shutdown of Nuclear Power Plant Due to Heat Wave
Operators shut the plant after Danube water dropped too low for cooling, forcing Hungary to import more electricity and ask factories to cut use.
- Hungary shut its sole nuclear power plant at Paks on August 2 after the Danube River hit record lows, forcing the facility to power down for the first time in its 44-year history and removing 40 per cent of the nation's electricity supply.
- Prime Minister Peter Magyar cited sustained drought across Europe and infrastructure deterioration during 16 years of Viktor Orban's rule, including delayed cooling system modernization, as underlying causes of the unprecedented shutdown.
- Laszlo Nagy, deputy director of the Paks plant, told reporters on July 31 that the situation is unprecedented, with the Danube reaching annual lows. The government boosted power imports and requested voluntary consumption cuts from industrial firms.
- Starting August 3, Budapest ordered trams and subways to run slower and turned off decorative lighting on state buildings to conserve electricity. Rail freight was halted at peak hours to mitigate grid strain.
- The crisis poses a major test for Magyar less than four months after ousting Orban, as temperatures are forecast to hit 38 deg C over the next six days with no precipitation expected.
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As the water level of the Danube River has dropped to a record low due to a heatwave and drought sweeping across Europe, Hungary's only nuclear power plant faces the risk of a complete shutdown for the first time in 44 years. In response, the Hungarian government has requested businesses and households to conserve electricity to address the power shortage. Samsung SDI was also among the companies that reduced its power consumption. According to …
The Paks plant, which generates almost half of the country's electricity, stopped operating because the river no longer provides enough water to cool the reactors.
Almost half of the required electricity suddenly falls away in Hungary. Because of the continued heat, the Paks nuclear power plant has to be shut down. Premier Magyar speaks of a "unprecedented crisis". Clemens Verenkotte.
Hungary's only nuclear power plant has been completely shut down for the first time in its history due to critically low water levels in the Danube River, which is used in its cooling system. This development at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant has led to a significant disruption to the country's electricity production.
The shutdown of the Paks nuclear power plant in Hungary demonstrates the impact of climate change on energy security.
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