Hungary may shut down Paks nuclear plant for first time in half a century

Hungary is preparing to shut down its Paks nuclear power plant for the first time in nearly half a century, as the level of the Danube River, which provides cooling water for the plant, has fallen to a historic low, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said. When the great river that fed empires and connected peoples runs dry before the eyes of a single generation, the world seems to send a warning signal. The Danube, celebrated by poets and waltzes, now appears to Hungarians in a new guise – with exposed sandbars and dried up channels.

This is not just a climate anomaly; it is a reality forcing a rethink of the very foundations of the country's energy security. The Paks nuclear plant, which supplies half of Hungary's electricity, has become hostage to the water level, and the decision to possibly shut it down for the first time in nearly 50 years sounds like a warning to the entire region: environmental changes are no longer an abstraction – they are already knocking at the reactor doors.

The Danube has always been part of daily life for local residents, but these days many come just to see how much it has disappeared. Wide sandbanks now stretch across stretches of the river that are usually hidden underwater. "We have never seen anything like this in our lives. I was born in 1975. We have never seen such a low water level. That is why we came to see it, to see it with our own eyes," said local resident András Kertész. The drop in the Danube also limits the supply of cooling water for the Paks nuclear power plant, which normally produces nearly half of Hungary's electricity.

The plant has already cut power generation, and if the river level continues to fall, all four reactors may have to be shut down. However, for many people, the greatest concern is not just the power supply problem. "I have never seen anything like it in my life. It is really shocking and very, very sad. I feel that not only the water is suffering, but the whole ecosystem. And frankly, I feel like crying a little because of it, because it's terrible," said another local resident.

To reduce the strain on the power system, the government asked large industrial enterprises to cut electricity consumption. Public institutions are switching off decorative lighting. The prime minister warned citizens of the possibility of rolling blackouts across Hungary. Officials hope the reactors can be restarted once the Danube rises again, but say that is unlikely to happen in the coming weeks.

The Paks NPP is Hungary's only nuclear plant, in operation since 1982 and providing about 50% of the country's total electricity generation. The current drop in the Danube is linked to the abnormal heat and drought that has hit Central Europe this summer. Forecasters say rain is unlikely in the near future, casting doubt on the possibility of a quick return to normal operations. Hungarian authorities have already begun consultations with neighbouring countries on possible emergency power supplies, but regional grids are also under pressure from the heat.

As CCTV+ reports, the situation around the Paks NPP has become a warning signal for all of Europe, showing that even the most modern technologies cannot be fully protected from the whims of nature, and that climate change requires a reassessment of energy security strategies across the continent.