Overview
- Hungary sharply cut output at the Paks nuclear plant to about 480 megawatts from its roughly 2,000 megawatt capacity and warned the plant could be stopped imminently under current river conditions.
- The Hungarian government issued an emergency decree, ordered MAVIR emergency protocols, and introduced mandatory and voluntary measures for large consumers alongside transport and work restrictions to reduce electricity demand.
- Romania's state energy firm Nuclearelectrica halted one reactor at the Cernavodă plant because of insufficient Danube water for cooling, and the Defence Ministry carried out a controlled explosion in the Băla branch to redirect flow toward the main channel.
- The loss or extended curtailment of Danube-cooled generation will force greater electricity imports, with political figures estimating substantial import costs for Hungary and households and industries facing water-use limits in affected towns.
- Experts and officials link the crisis to prolonged heat and drought that have driven Danube flows to record lows, creating a cross-border challenge for river-dependent power, river transport and municipal water supplies.