Hungary's only nuclear power plant, "Paks," may be shut down as early as this weekend due to record low water levels in the Danube River, announced Prime Minister Peter Szijjarto:
Currently, the plant's four reactors are operating at 25% of their total capacity. Authorities had previously considered that their operation could be halted next week due to further declines in the Danube's water levels, which are used for cooling the plant.
"The water level in the Danube has decreased even more. For this reason, the engineers at the Paks nuclear power plant have activated the next phase of production volume reduction overnight. A complete shutdown could occur sooner, as early as this weekend," Szijjarto said, according to Reuters. He added that the plant's operations could be halted for several weeks.
The Paks nuclear power plant produces nearly half of Hungary's electricity:
