Hungary's only nuclear power plant may be forced offline as the Danube River falls to record low levels, Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced on August 1.
The Paks plant's four reactors are running at just a quarter of their full capacity. Authorities had previously indicated the reactors could be shut down the following week as Danube water levels were expected to continue falling. The river supplies the water used to cool the station.
Magyar said water levels had dropped further overnight, prompting Paks engineers to carry out another round of production cuts. He said a complete shutdown could come sooner than expected, possibly that weekend, and that any outage could last several weeks.
According to Reuters, Paks produces nearly half of Hungary's electricity. Mark Radnai, vice president of the ruling Tisza party, warned that the resulting energy crisis could cost Hungary between $315 million and $630 million.
