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Hungary shuts Paks plant as Danube water levels force power cuts
The outage took Paks offline, cutting about 40 percent of the country’s electricity generation overnight and driving regional power prices to around €500 per megawatt-hour.
Europe is facing an energy squeeze as intense summer heat boosts electricity demand while drought dries waterways that are needed to cool power plants, OilPrice reports.
The outlet says Hungary shut down the Paks nuclear power plant over the weekend due to a further drop in the Danube’s water level, marking a first shutdown for the facility in 44 years.
OilPrice adds that the move led to a major regional power price swing, with electricity costs reaching about €500 per megawatt-hour.
The outage also raises near term risk for Hungary, with the prime minister warning that an energy crisis situation may arise from Monday as temperatures continue to climb.