Hungary's Paks Nuclear Power Plant has been completely shut down for the first time in 44 years due to further decreases in water levels in the Danube. This was announced earlier by Hungary's Prime Minister Peter Szijjarto on Facebook.
"Due to the further decrease in water levels in the Danube, the last operating energy block will be shut down at 1:30 AM. This will leave the plant with only 240 megawatts of capacity, and tomorrow it will completely shut down for the first time in 44 years," Szijjarto wrote earlier.
The shutdown occurred because the NPP uses water from the Danube for reactor cooling. When the water level drops critically and its temperature rises, the operation of the plant becomes impossible from a safety standpoint.
The Paks NPP is Hungary's only operational nuclear power plant and plays a key role in the country's energy system. The four energy blocks of the Soviet-designed VVER-440 type were commissioned in the 1980s and provide about half of Hungary's electricity production.
The drop in the Danube's level has been a consequence of prolonged heat and drought in Central Europe. In recent years, the low water levels of the river have repeatedly created problems for the energy and navigation sectors of the Danube basin countries.
This is not the first such case for the Paks NPP. In 2022, amid extreme heat and rising river water temperatures, the plant faced restrictions related to equipment cooling. At that time, authorities allowed a temporary increase in the permissible water temperature after discharge into the Danube to maintain the stability of energy supply.
The current shutdown of the plant has become a rare case where climatic conditions have directly led to the cessation of operations of a key object in Hungary's energy infrastructure.
