Record-Low Danube Threatens Hungary’s Nuclear Power Supply

by Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

BUDAPEST (Worthy News) – Hungary’s only nuclear power plant could be forced to shut down within days after record-low water levels on the Danube River sharply reduced its cooling capacity, raising fresh concerns over Europe’s energy security amid an intense heatwave.

Prime Minister Peter Magyar said the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, which normally supplies nearly half of Hungary’s electricity, could be powered down if water levels continue to fall.

Operators have already reduced output to below half of the plant’s normal capacity.

The situation has been worsened by a malfunction at Hungary’s largest gas-fired power plant, prompting authorities to increase electricity imports and urge industries and consumers to reduce power use during peak hours to avoid placing further strain on the national grid.

REGIONAL ENERGY PRESSURE

The crisis extends beyond Hungary. Romania has also been forced to shut down both reactors at its Cernavoda Nuclear Power Plant on the Danube, marking the first time both units have been taken offline simultaneously because of historically low river levels.

The shutdown is expected to increase the country’s reliance on imported electricity.

France has likewise reduced nuclear generation as rivers became too warm or too shallow to provide sufficient cooling water, highlighting the growing vulnerability of Europe’s nuclear fleet to prolonged heat and drought.

CLIMATE CHALLENGE

Several research getsResearchers say increasingly frequent heatwaves and droughts that they say “linked to climate change” are turning low river levels into a recurring seasonal threat for nuclear power generation across Europe.

Other scientists have expressed reluctance over that gloomy assessment about the alleged imminent destruction of the world.

The shrinking Danube has also disrupted cargo shipping, river cruises, and other economic activity across Central and Eastern Europe, underscoring the broader impact of the region’s prolonged drought.

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