Heatwave Triggers Partial Nuclear Shutdowns in Europe

A severe heatwave and historic drought across Central and Eastern Europe have pushed the region's energy infrastructure to the brink, forcing partial shutdowns at major nuclear power plants and triggering emergency measures to prevent widespread blackouts. The crisis, driven by record-low water levels in the Danube River, has strained electricity supplies in multiple countries as temperatures are forecast to approach 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) this week.

In Hungary, the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, which typically supplies nearly half of the country's electricity, was operating at just over 10 percent of its capacity as of August 4. Only one of its four reactors remained online after the others were taken offline due to insufficient Danube water for cooling. Prime Minister Péter Magyar stated the facility narrowly avoided a complete shutdown, which would have been the first in the plant's more than 40-year history. The government has urged industrial users to curb demand and called for voluntary conservation by households, while temporarily halting electric freight trains to reduce grid pressure.

Neighboring Romania is undertaking drastic engineering efforts to...