Danube drought pushes Paks plant to brink as Central Europe cuts power use

Record-low Danube levels and extreme heat are deepening power stress in Central and Eastern Europe, with Hungary's Paks nuclear plant pushed close to shutdown as drought constrains cooling water supplies. As of Wednesday morning, three of Paks's four reactors were offline and the remaining unit was operating at about 50% power, sharply below the plant's normal role supplying roughly half of Hungary's electricity. Prime Minister Péter Magyar said the coming days are critical, with little precipitation forecast for at least 10 days, though a cold front is expected on Friday after temperatures above 100 degrees Fahrenheit in Budapest on Wednesday and Thursday. Hungary has switched off lighting at more than 300 government-linked buildings and darkened landmarks including Buda Castle and the Chain Bridge, while nearly doubling electricity imports through regional interconnections, according to Euractiv. The government said supply remains stable and urged households to avoid using washing machines and tumble dryers between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. The strain highlights the vulnerability of river-cooled nuclear infrastructure during prolonged heat and drought on a continent that Copernicus says is warming more than twice as fast as the global average.