The European Commission says it is prepared to convene an emergency meeting of its Electricity Coordination Group over the shutdown of Hungary's Paks nuclear plant, as the country's prime minister warned of a looming energy crisis.
"Although the operator has emergency measures in place to guarantee nuclear safety, an event of this kind could further strain the regional electricity balance," the Commission's spokesperson, Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, told Euronews. "The Commission stands ready to convene an ad hoc meeting of the Electricity Coordination Group."
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has warned that the country could face an energy crisis as early as next week, after Paks – which supplies almost half of Hungary's energy needs – was taken offline following record-low water levels in the Danube, which is used to cool the reactors. It is the first time the plant has been shut down completely since it opened 42 years ago.
"This means 2,000 megawatts will be lost from Hungarian energy production from Monday at the latest, while demand for residential and public consumption continues to rise because of the heat," Magyar said on Thursday evening.
The government has asked the public and businesses to cut energy use during the peak hours between 5pm and 10pm, urging people to avoid using air conditioning and washing machines in particular.
