Péter Magyar Warns of Looming Energy Crisis as Hungary's Paks Nuclear Plant Faces Shutdown
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar warned that the country could face an energy crisis as early as next week due to the shutdown of the Paks nuclear plant. The facility, which provides nearly half of Hungary's energy needs, was forced to reduce output because of record-low water levels in the Danube river, which serves as the primary cooling source. Magyar stated that the loss of 2,000 megawatts of production will occur by Monday, necessitating a request for the public and businesses to reduce energy consumption during peak hours. The European Commission is prepared to convene an emergency meeting to coordinate regional electricity balance. The drought has also impacted neighboring Romania, where reactors at the Cernavodǎ plant were affected by the same hydraulic conditions. Beyond power production, the low water levels have disrupted shipping and tourism across eastern Europe, leaving cargo ships marooned and exposing historical artifacts like a Second World War era bomb in Budapest. Experts suggest the situation serves as a critical test of the region's energy resilience during one of the hottest summers on record.