Hungary's Drought Forces Shutdown of Sole Nuclear Power Plant

WHO:

Politico - Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced the shutdown.

Al Jazeera - Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico stated his country is “closely monitoring the energy situation.”

WHAT:

Politico - Hungary will shut down its only nuclear power plant, the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, for the first time in 44 years.

Al Jazeera - The Paks Nuclear Power Plant supplies nearly half of Hungary’s electricity.

Al Jazeera - The plant's output fell to 965 megawatts and then to 240 megawatts, far below the normal output of 2,000 megawatts.

Politico - The government has urged households and businesses to reduce electricity consumption during peak hours between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m.

WHERE:

Politico - The Paks Nuclear Power Plant is located in central Hungary, south of Budapest.

Al Jazeera - The Danube River, which flows from Germany to the Black Sea, is the water source for cooling the plant.

WHEN:

Politico - The shutdown is set to occur tomorrow.

Al Jazeera - The river level is expected to fall as low as 144cm, below the previous record of 98cm set in 2018.

WHY:

Politico - The shutdown is due to record-low levels of the Danube River, which have reduced the water available for cooling the reactors.

Al Jazeera - The prolonged drought and heatwave across Europe have led to low river levels affecting the plant's operations.

HOW:

Politico - Authorities have prepared an emergency plan to temporarily restrict consumption at industrial facilities on a rotating basis.

Al Jazeera - The government requested companies that use large amounts of water to voluntarily reduce their consumption to help stabilize the situation.

(UPDATED August 2, 2026 14:27 UTC)

Hungary's Prime Minister Peter Magyar has announced that the Paks Nuclear Power Plant will shut down tomorrow for the first time in 44 years due to record-low levels of the Danube River, which are impacting the plant's cooling capabilities. This facility, located in central Hungary and responsible for nearly half of the country's electricity, has seen its output drastically drop from a normal 2,000 megawatts to just 240 megawatts. In response to the ongoing drought and heatwave, the government is urging households and businesses to cut back on electricity use during peak hours and has prepared an emergency plan to manage industrial consumption.