Hungary on the verge of blackout due to forced shutdown of its only nuclear power plant

3 min.609

There is so little water in the Danube now that it is not enough to cool the nuclear power plant.

Hungary is on the brink of an energy disaster due to a record drop in the water level in the Danube . Without this water, the Hungarian nuclear power plant, which provides up to half of the country’s energy supply, cannot operate normally. Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said this in a video message .

“Dear compatriots, I have extraordinary information to share. For the first time in its 42-year history, the Paks NPP is expected to be completely shut down within 24-72 hours due to record-low water levels in the Danube. This means that from Monday, a loss of 2,000 megawatts of energy production in Hungary is expected, while the demand for electricity for the population and businesses is constantly increasing due to the increasing heat,” he said.

According to Madyar, the previous record for the lowest water level in the Danube near the NPP was in 2018, at 97 cm below normal. But today the actual level is 121 cm below normal. And according to hydrological forecasts, Madyar says, the water level in the Danube is “guaranteed” to continue to drop in the coming weeks.

“Therefore, the restart of the Paks NPP is definitely not expected. I would like to assure everyone that although such a shutdown has never happened before, it does not pose any danger. Every step is being taken in accordance with the strictest safety standards,” the Prime Minister emphasized.

According to Magyar, the situation is further aggravated by the emergency shutdown of the large gas-fired power plant Dunamenti due to technical malfunctions, which led to the loss of another 400 megawatts of power. On the other hand, due to the heat, electricity consumption in Hungary is now close to a historic peak.

All of this, according to the Hungarian leader, will lead to “a critical energy supply situation that we have never encountered in the history of Hungary” as early as Monday.

Magyar called on large industrial consumers to voluntarily limit their electricity consumption during peak hours to cope with the expected energy crisis. He also said that a legislative framework is being prepared so that the regulator can forcibly disconnect large consumers from the grid in a planned manner.

In addition, measures will be taken to reduce unnecessary electricity consumption, in particular in the public sector, as well as to maximize the mobilization of existing energy generating capacities.

Magyar also admitted that a plan for fanning outages of consumers has been developed as a last resort.

(C)UNIAN 2026