Hungary’s only nuclear power plant, the Soviet-era Paks facility, is facing a total shutdown for the first time in its history. Prime Minister Péter Magyar confirmed that the water level of the River Danube has dropped so significantly that the power plant's cooling suction nozzles can no longer reach the water. Magyar warned that Hungary's energy supply could reach a "critical" state starting Monday, a situation exacerbated by an ongoing heatwave that is expected to keep temperatures hovering around 37C for the coming week.
The drought conditions, which have persisted throughout the summer across much of Europe, have caused the Danube to fall to its lowest levels in 30 years in several nations, including neighboring Serbia and Romania. In response to the potential energy shortfall, Prime Minister Magyar has requested that Hungarian citizens limit energy-intensive activities between the peak hours of 17:00 and 22:00. This includes avoiding the charging of electric vehicles and minimizing the use of air conditioning equipment. Furthermore, the government is preparing for a potential "rotational shutdown regime" if these conservation efforts fail to maintain the balance of the national grid, with officials currently compiling a list of electricity and water consumers whose usage could be restricted.
The crisis is also impacting energy production in Romania. The state-owned company Nuclearelectrica has already shut down one of the two 706-megawatt reactors at the Cernavoda power plant, which typically provides approximately 20% of the country's electricity. The first reactor was closed earlier this week, and the company has been working to avoid shutting down the second reactor on Thursday. If the second unit is forced to close, Romania will temporarily face a total lack of nuclear energy production, mirroring the situation in Hungary.
According to the Copernicus climate service, climate change is driving up temperatures globally, but Europe is warming twice as fast as the global average. This trend is causing more intense summer heatwaves, placing greater pressure on water resources, and increasing the frequency of intense wildfires. Data from Romania's National Institute of Hydrology highlights the severity of the situation: the average river flow where the Danube enters the country is typically 4,700 cubic metres per second in July. On Wednesday, that figure had dropped to less than a third of the average, at 1,600 cubic metres per second, with forecasts predicting a further decline to 1,500 cubic metres per second by Tuesday.
The Danube, which stretches 2,857km (1,775 miles) through 19 countries, has revealed several unexpected historical artifacts due to the receding waters. In Croatia, the remains of a sunken Hungarian cargo ship have resurfaced, while in Serbia, the hulks of a German river flotilla from World War Two have become visible at Prahovo. Additionally, a resident in the northeastern Bulgarian city of Ruse discovered bones on the riverbed that experts have identified as the remains of a mammoth, including a lower jaw, two tusks, and a possible rib.
Shipping operations have largely ground to a halt in Bulgaria. Earlier this week, border police were forced to evacuate 186 river cruise passengers from the Viking Ullur ship after it ran aground near the city of Vidin, which sits on the border with Romania. The passengers had been running low on food and water because the vessel was unable to dock, and rescue boats were unable to get close enough to assist. Ivan Zhekov, head of river supervision at Bulgaria's maritime administration agency, told the BTA news agency that he has never encountered such low levels, noting that there has certainly not been a similar situation since 1990.
The drought is also affecting the Sava and Tisa rivers, which are key tributaries of the Danube in Serbia. Serbian hydrologist Dejan Vladiković explained to the N1 television channel that the current issues stem from both high temperatures and low rainfall during the spring. He noted that the Danube has reached levels not seen in 50 to 60 years, with climatologists not expecting any improvement until mid-September. With temperatures in Serbia forecast to reach 38C on Friday and locally up to 40C, and night-time temperatures in Belgrade hitting 26C, the region remains on high alert. Meanwhile, fire-prone conditions are expected to spread toward central Europe, following intense and widespread wildfires in France and Spain that have already led to hundreds of thousands of evacuations.
Magyar asked Hungarians to limit activities that required significant energy consumption between the peak times of 17:00 and 22:00, including charging electric cars and using air conditioning equipment.
Large areas of the riverbed have been exposed in the centre of Budapest after weeks of extreme heat and drought
