The drought in Europe has sent the River Danube to a record low, forcing Hungary to shutter its only nuclear power plant. Yesterday evening, Hungary's 2-gigawatt Paks power plant, which generates about half of the country's electricity, was running at just over 10 per cent of its capacity after the Danube, whose waters it uses as a coolant, fell to a record low.The Soviet-era reactors at Paks rely on the river's water for cooling, but the suction nozzles can no longer reach it. Water levels in the pan-European river are already so low that a sunken Nazi ship was uncovered late last week. The water authority was projecting that the level of the river, which flows from Germany to the Black Sea, would drop further in the coming days.The plant provides around 40 per cent of Hungary's annual electricity generation but its operator has said the shutdown is 'unavoidable'. 'We are facing the most critical five days ahead,' said Prime Minister Peter Magyar, adding: 'Tomorrow, the Paks power plant will not be generating, while the hottest, 40-degree [Celsius] days are ahead.' Large parts of Europe have been hit by prolonged heat and drought, lowering river levels across the continent and raising concerns about water supplies, river transport and power generation.The heat has also exacerbated the wildfires raging across Europe. Among the worst affected countries is Greece, which is still battling wildfires as of this morning. Historically low water level of the Danube has revealed the remains of old cars, ships and weapons in its riverbed A drone view shows people swimming near a sunken German warship from World War II in Serbia on July 30, 2026 Firefighters battle a wildfire near the village Agia Paraskevi, Greece, August 2, 2026Authorities sent five water-dropping planes and another five helicopters took off at first light Monday to help hundreds of firefighters battling a major wildfire west of Athens, even after a midair collision between two firefighting helicopters killed two crew members.According to the European Commission, the European Union has seen nearly half a million hectares of land burned by wildfires this year alone. More than 1,400 fires have been detected, which have released nearly 20million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere. The fires across the continent, as well as the heatwave that has exacerbated them, have put enormous pressure on public infrastructure. Mr Magyar warned that the Paks nuclear plant could remain idle for weeks as a result of the Danube's low levels, adding: 'The power grid, our public services and ourselves will all come under enormous strain.'He added that the decision on when to shut down would be 'made by the plant's management observing a strict security protocol'.He said voluntary cuts in power usage by households and more than 300 companies, made after a government appeal, had reduced demand by 400 MW, easing some pressure on the grid.'For the time being there is no need for mandatory restrictions in power consumption for companies,' Mr Magyar said, adding however that the government could bring in curbs as soon as Monday if necessary.Energy Minister Istvan Kapitany said the list of companies curbing power demand included Hungarian energy group MOL, South Korean battery maker Samsung SDI, German carmaker Volkswagen's premium Audi brand and Japanese car parts supplier Denso.Falls in water levels have also disrupted shipping and tourism in Hungary and triggered water-use restrictions in more than 100 cities and villages, including on the outskirts of Budapest, according to government records.