Hungary plans to close its only nuclear power plant due to drought

Hungary is set to shut down the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, which provides nearly half of the country’s electricity, due to record-low water levels in the Danube River that are insufficient for cooling its reactors. Prime Minister Peter Magyar confirmed the plant’s output had plummeted to as low as 240 megawatts, far below its normal capacity. The situation has been exacerbated by ongoing drought conditions affecting multiple European rivers, leading to water-use restrictions across more than 100 Hungarian cities and villages.

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