Extreme heat and drought are putting nuclear power stations in Hungary and Romania on the Danube at risk
The Danube’s critically low water levels are threatening the operation of nuclear power stations, with military intervention and production cuts being implemented to prevent power cuts.
Hungary’s only nuclear power station, Paks, was on the verge of a complete shutdown overnight due to a critical drop in the water level of the River Danube caused by the extreme heat. By the morning, however, the water level had risen again, allowing the plant’s last turbine to continue operating safely, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said today.
“At 1.30 am, we were just a few millimetres away from a complete shutdown of the Paks power station, but the water level stopped falling and, by the morning, had risen by 1.5 centimetres. The last turbine is currently operating safely,” Magyar wrote on X.
Romania diverts the course of the Danube to save a nuclear power station
The Romanian army has taken unprecedented measures to increase the flow of water to the country’s only nuclear power station, by blasting a rock formation in the Danube on 3 July 2026.
The Black Sea country has already shut down one of its two reactors at the Cernavoda power station because low water levels in the Danube caused by the drought are preventing the equipment from being cooled adequately.
The drop in energy production has prompted the government to ask businesses and the public to reduce their consumption: the country’s two largest car manufacturers, Dacia and Ford Otosan, part of Renault SA, have already suspended production until the end of August, said acting Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan.
