Hungary avoids nuclear shutdown by 'millimetres' as Danube rises

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day, reviewed by our editorial team. Read the full piece on Euractiv or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: Hungary narrowly avoided shutting down its only nuclear power plant after rising Danube water levels prevented a critical cooling crisis at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant
• Prime Minister Peter Magyar said the country was “millimetres” away from a complete shutdown overnight as the Danube reached historically low levels, threatening the plant’s ability to safely discharge cooling water

🔭 The context: The Paks plant, which supplies roughly half of Hungary’s electricity, relies on the Danube for cooling operations
• Extremely low river flows have reduced the ability of nuclear facilities to maintain safe operating temperatures, forcing operators to reduce output or temporarily halt reactors
• The Danube’s record lows have also affected other energy systems across Central Europe
• Austria has seen pressure on hydropower generation, while Romania’s nuclear production has been disrupted due to reduced river availability

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Nuclear power is often considered a key technology for reducing emissions, but many plants depend on reliable water supplies for cooling
• More frequent droughts and heatwaves could create new vulnerabilities, especially in regions where rivers are already under stress
• The event reinforces the need for climate-resilient infrastructure planning, including alternative cooling systems, improved water management and diversified energy mixes

⏭️ What’s next: European energy operators are expected to face growing scrutiny over the resilience of existing infrastructure as extreme weather events become more frequent
• Governments may increasingly need to integrate climate risk assessments into energy planning, particularly for assets dependent on freshwater availability

💬 One quote: “Around half past one at night we were just a few millimetres away from a complete shutdown of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, but then the water level stopped dropping.” — Peter Magyar, Prime Minister of Hungary

📈 One stat: At its lowest point, the Danube flow in Budapest fell to 723 cubic metres per second, down from more than 1,000 m³/s in mid-July

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