Hungary's Paks nuclear plant narrowly avoids shutdown as Danube water levels recover

Published Aug 4, 08:06 AM UTC

Hungary narrowly avoided a full shutdown of its Paks Nuclear Power Plant early Tuesday morning as the Danube River's water levels recovered just in time. Prime Minister Peter Magyar stated that at around 1:30 AM, the plant was only millimetres away from a complete shutdown before the water level stopped dropping. The Danube's record lows have raised regional concerns, with Austria facing impaired hydropower output and Romania's nuclear output crippled. Throughput in Budapest had dropped to 723 cubic metres per second, down from over 1,000 in mid-July, but rose to nearly 750 m3/s by Tuesday morning. German officials predict the Danube will remain far below historical levels through early August, with recovery expected by mid-August. The European Commission is considering a regional discussion with affected member states to coordinate responses.