Hungary nuclear plant may shut this weekend

Hungary's only nuclear power plant could shut completely as early as this weekend after low Danube water levels forced another partial shutdown, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said Saturday.

The Paks plant, south of Budapest, normally supplies about a third of Hungary's electricity needs and is cooled by water pumped from the Danube. The river has fallen to record low levels after a lack of rain and successive heatwaves since May.

Magyar said engineers had carried out another partial shutdown during the evening and early morning, leaving the plant at about a quarter of its normal 2,000-megawatt capacity. He said a full shutdown was expected sooner than previously anticipated, possibly this weekend.

The plant operator had said Friday that falling water levels could force Paks completely offline around the middle of next week, which would be the first full shutdown in its history.

HungaroMet forecast highs of more than 40C in coming days. A predicted 42C peak on Thursday would match Hungary's national temperature record set earlier this summer.

Magyar announced steps intended to prevent the energy grid from being overwhelmed. He said large industrial consumers that make voluntary commitments to reduce electricity use during peak evening hours could face penalties if they fail to comply.

He said authorities could also impose mandatory cuts and temporarily disconnect specific large consumers if needed. Backup power plants, including facilities long out of service, have been placed on standby, and freight rail services are due to be suspended during peak hours from Monday.