Hungary will shut down the Paks nuclear power plant on Sunday for the first time in its 44-year history, Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced late Saturday night. The closure — driven by record-low water levels in the Danube — will leave the country's 9.6 million residents dependent on imported electricity at a moment when heat waves are straining grids across Europe and driving energy prices to dangerous heights.
The plant, located 120 kilometers south of Budapest, normally generates 2,000 megawatts — more than 40% of Hungary's electricity production. It uses water from the Danube to cool its reactors. But months of below-average rainfall and successive heat waves since May have pushed the river to unprecedented lows. Output had already been cut earlier in the week, with some reactors shut down. By early Sunday morning, the plant was producing only 240 megawatts before going completely offline.
A River Running Dry
Hungary's water authority measured the Danube's water level in Budapest at 23 centimeters on Wednesday morning — below the previous record low of 33 centimeters set 8 years ago in 2018. The authority projected that the river would fall further in the coming days. No significant rain is forecast, and temperatures are expected to rise above 38 degrees Celsius across the region.
Magyar warned that the Paks plant could remain offline for weeks. "Due to a further decline in the Danube's water level, the second-to-last generating unit at the Paks nuclear power plant will be shut down at 1:30 a.m. (2330 GMT)," he said on social media. "As a result, the plant is now producing only 240 megawatts (of electricity), and tomorrow (on Sunday), for the first time in 44 years, it will be completely shut down."
The Cost of Climate Breakdown
The shutdown comes as heat waves across Europe, including in France and the US, are stressing power systems, raising blackout risks and energy prices when electricity demand is highest. The surge in imported electricity prices could cost Hungary between 120 billion and 240 billion forints — between $315 million and $630 million and €273 million to €546 million — Tisza Party Vice Chairman Mark Radnai said on Facebook.
Magyar said his government would seek voluntary power cuts from large users, in addition to the 240 megawatts already pledged, with penalties for noncompliance. A decree would also allow grid operator MAVIR to mandate consumption cuts and temporarily disconnect large users if necessary. "Households will be the last to face restrictions," Magyar said.
Why This Matters:
This isn't just a technical failure. It's a preview of what climate breakdown means for Europe's aging energy infrastructure. Nuclear plants across the continent depend on river water for cooling — and rivers are drying up. France has faced similar shutdowns during heat waves. Germany's Rhine has become unnavigable for freight. The Danube, which flows through ten countries, is now at its lowest level in recorded history. Hungary's crisis exposes the gap between Europe's climate ambitions and the reality on the ground: without massive investment in renewable energy, grid resilience, and water management, the Green Deal remains a promise on paper. Ordinary people will pay the price — in blackouts, in soaring energy bills, and in a summer that feels less like an anomaly and more like the new normal. The EU must treat this as the emergency it is.