Hungary PM announces closure of nuclear plant due to heat wave
The dried-up Danube riverbed is pictured with the Paks power plant in the background, near Dunaszentbenedek, close to Paks town on July 31, 2026.
On Aug. 2, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced the shutdown of the country’s sole nuclear power plant after record-low water levels in the Danube River forced its first halt in 44 years.
The move marks the latest stage in an energy crisis triggered by prolonged drought and extreme heat across Europe.
The nuclear plant in Paks, south of Budapest, normally providing around a third of the central European country’s electricity needs, is cooled by water pumped from the Danube river, which has dropped to record low levels due to lack of rain and successive heatwaves since May.
