Hungary to shut Paks nuclear plant as Danube lows cut cooling water

Hungary plans to shut its sole nuclear power plant next week because Danube water levels are too low for cooling, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said, according to a phys.org report of an AFP dispatch. The Paks plant south of Budapest supplies around 40% of Hungary's annual electricity. Its four Soviet-era reactors draw cooling water from the Danube. The operator had warned a shutdown was unavoidable, and Magyar said calculations pointed to Tuesday or Wednesday after recent output cuts. Phys.org says the river has fallen to record lows in places amid little rain and heat waves since May. Romania has already shut one nuclear reactor for the same reason and said it would close the second. Hungary has asked businesses to use less electricity, banned outdoor fires, and ordered decorative lighting on state buildings switched off. An earlier 12-day late-June heat wave in Hungary was linked to an estimated 304 excess deaths based on provisional mortality figures cited by climate data scientist Peter Szabo. Neighboring countries reported extreme fire risk, drought, and record July heat.