Hungary's only nuclear power plant, the Soviet-era Paks facility, will be forced to shut down entirely for the first time due to record low water levels in the River Danube, Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced on July 30, 2026. The plant relies on the Danube for cooling, but the water has fallen so low that the plant's suction nozzles cannot reach it.

Magyar warned that Hungary's energy supply could become "critical" starting Monday, August 3, 2026, due to the shutdown combined with an ongoing heatwave expected to bring temperatures around 37°C for a week. He also indicated that a "rotational shutdown regime" might be implemented if efforts to maintain the national grid balance prove insufficient, with the government preparing a list of electricity and water consumers whose usage could be limited.

The Danube's water levels have dropped to their lowest in 30 years across several countries, including neighboring Serbia and Romania. Romania's National Institute of Hydrology reported that the average river flow where the Danube enters Romania is typically 4,700 cubic meters per second in July, but on July 29, 2026, it fell to less than a third of that, at 1,600 cubic meters per second.

The low water levels have also disrupted river traffic. In Bulgaria, shipping has come to a halt, and border police evacuated 186 passengers from the Viking Ullur river cruise ship after it ran aground near Vidin, a city on the border with Romania.

Earlier in the week, one of the two 706-megawatt reactors at the Paks plant was shut down due to the low water levels, while Romania's state-owned company Nuclearelectrica was attempting to avoid shutting down the other reactor.

An official remarked, "I have never heard of such low levels over the years. There has certainly not been a similar situation since 1990," underscoring the severity of the current drought conditions affecting the Danube.

Sources