Record Heatwave Dries Up River... Hungary's Nuclear Plant Shuts Down Completely for First Time in 44 Years

Cooling Water Shortage as Danube Levels Plummet
Hungary Turns to Imports After Nuclear Plant Supplying Half of Power Shuts Down

Paks, Hungary's only nuclear power plant, has been completely shut down for the first time in 44 years since it began operations. The immediate cause is that the Danube River's water levels have dropped sharply due to record-breaking heatwaves and drought, making it impossible to secure enough water for reactor cooling.

Bloomberg and AP reported that on August 1 (local time), Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced the full stoppage of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant.

Located along the Danube River in central Hungary, the Paks Nuclear Power Plant has virtually single-handedly managed Hungary's nuclear power generation for over 40 years since its first reactor began commercial operation in 1982. Currently, it operates four reactors and is a core facility responsible for about half of the country's electricity production.

Last month on the 31st, the Paks Nuclear Power Plant in Hungary can be seen beyond the Danube River, which has revealed its bed due to drought. Photo by Yonhap News

However, due to the heatwave and severe drought that have hit Europe this summer, the Danube's water level has fallen to a record low, making it difficult to secure cooling water. Since the plant operates by drawing river water to cool the reactors, inadequate water volume or excessively high temperatures mean that output reductions or operational shutdowns become unavoidable.

Paks Nuclear Power Plant first saw its output drop to less than half and has ultimately entered a full shutdown. Prime Minister Magyar stated that the river's water level has dropped to a point where the plant's cooling system cannot operate normally and predicted that restarting operations would not be easy for the time being.

The plant's shutdown is expected to place a heavy burden on Hungary's electricity supply. The government is addressing the power shortage by importing electricity from abroad and has asked major industrial companies to reduce their energy use. The public sector will also implement energy-saving measures including expanding remote work and reducing lighting in public buildings. Prime Minister Magyar said, "Households are the lowest on the restriction order."

As the shutdown forces Hungary to rely on costly imported electricity, foreign media has reported that this crisis could impose up to 200 billion forints (about 800 billion won) in additional costs on the Hungarian economy.

This situation is seen as an example of how climate change can have a direct impact on nuclear power plant operations. During the same period, Romania also shut down the Cernavoda nuclear plant's reactors one after another due to the drop in Danube River water levels. Across Europe, insufficient river water is disrupting both hydropower generation and freight transport.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.