'Critical five days' for Hungary with nuclear plant expected to be shut down

Hungary's prime minister has warned the country is facing the "most critical five days ahead" with its sole nuclear power plant expected to be shut down this week due to record-low water levels of the River Danube.

Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Monday the 2-gigawatt Paks power plant would operate at reduced capacity until it is completely shut down for the first time in more than four decades as a new heatwave looms.

The plant, which uses the waters of the Danube as a coolant, generates about half of the country's electricity.

As of Sunday, it was running at just over 10% of its capacity after the Danube fell to a record low.

Large parts of Europe have been hit by prolonged heat and drought - lowering river levels and raising concerns about water supplies, river transportation and power generation.

The water authority in Hungary was projecting that ⁠the level of the Danube, which flows from Germany ⁠to the Black Sea, would drop further in the coming days.

"We are facing the most critical five days ‌ahead," Mr Magyar said in a Facebook video at the weekend.

"The power grid, our public services and ourselves will all come under ‌enormous strain," said Mr Magyar, who has warned that Paks, which runs four Russian-built reactors, could remain inactive for weeks.

In a later video, he said the decision on when to shut it down would be "made by the plant's management observing a strict security protocol".

Falls in water levels have also disrupted shipping ⁠and tourism in the country. Water-use restrictions have been imposed in more than ​100 cities and villages, including on the outskirts of Budapest, according to government records.

The crisis ​could cost Hungary 100bn to 200bn forints (£235m to £470m) due to the surging price of imported electricity, Mark Radnai, vice chairman of Mr Magyar's Tisza Party, said on Facebook.

It comes as large parts of Europe have been hit by wildfires amid scorching temperatures.

Massive blazes in Spain and France at the end of last month drove roughly a third of a million people from their homes and holiday sites, while a wildfire is currently raging in Greece.

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Mr Magyar said voluntary cuts in power usage by households and more than 300 ⁠companies, after a government appeal, had reduced demand by 400MW, ​easing some pressure on the grid.

"For the time being there is ​no need for mandatory restrictions in power consumption for companies," he said.

He added, however, that restrictions could be introduced at the start of this week if necessary.

Meanwhile, images showed the Romanian navy blasting rocks in controlled explosions to divert the Danube water flow toward the Cernavoda nuclear power plant in Izvoarele, Romania.

The Rhine, a river that is a major highway for European freight traffic, has also dried up in some parts.

In Germany's western city of Cologne, which spans the Rhine, the water level on Saturday dropped below the record low set in October 2018.

The volume of cargo transported to and from Rotterdam - Europe's largest sea port - to the Rhine has ​fallen each week since the start of July and is around 10% lower than usual, a port spokesperson told ​the Reuters news agency.

In Italy, the Po River basin has entered a state of high water scarcity, threatening rice crops and drinking water supplies across the ​north.

Renato Mazzoncini, chief executive of regional utility A2A, said: "Some of our reservoirs are under pressure.

"We practically need to start doing a rain dance."

(c) Sky News 2026: 'Critical five days' for Hungary with nuclear plant expected to be shut down