A severe European drought has pushed the River Danube to historic lows, leaving Hungary with no choice but to halt operations at its sole nuclear power station.
By yesterday evening, the 2-gigawatt Paks nuclear plant — responsible for roughly half of Hungary’s electricity supply — had been reduced to a little over 10 per cent of normal output as the Danube, the source of its cooling water, dropped to a record low.
The Soviet-era reactors at Paks depend on water drawn directly from the river to keep the facility cool, but the falling level has left the plant’s intake nozzles unable to reach the water.
The scale of the Danube drought has already become starkly visible: late last week, receding waters exposed a Nazi ship that had long been submerged beneath the river.
Authorities monitoring the waterway, which runs from Germany to the Black Sea, warned that levels were expected to fall even further in the days ahead.
Although Paks accounts for about 40 per cent of Hungary’s annual electricity generation, the plant’s operator said the decision to shut it down could not be avoided under the current conditions.
Prime Minister Peter Magyar warned that the country was entering a dangerous stretch, saying: ‘We are facing the most critical five days ahead. Tomorrow, the Paks power plant will not be generating, while the hottest, 40-degree [Celsius] days are ahead.’
Much of Europe has been gripped by persistent heat and drought, sending river levels tumbling across the continent and intensifying fears over drinking water, shipping routes and energy production.
The heat has also exacerbated the wildfires raging across Europe. Among the worst affected countries is Greece, which is still battling wildfires as of this morning.
Historically low water level of the Danube has revealed the remains of old cars, ships and weapons in its riverbed
A drone view shows people swimming near a sunken German warship from World War II in Serbia on July 30, 2026
Firefighters battle a wildfire near the village Agia Paraskevi, Greece, August 2, 2026
Authorities sent five water-dropping planes and another five helicopters took off at first light Monday to help hundreds of firefighters battling a major wildfire west of Athens, even after a midair collision between two firefighting helicopters killed two crew members.
According to the European Commission, the European Union has seen nearly half a million hectares of land burned by wildfires this year alone.
More than 1,400 fires have been detected, which have released nearly 20million tons of CO2 into the atmosphere.
The fires across the continent, as well as the heatwave that has exacerbated them, have put enormous pressure on public infrastructure.
Mr Magyar warned that the Paks nuclear plant could remain idle for weeks as a result of the Danube’s low levels, adding: ‘The power grid, our public services and ourselves will all come under enormous strain.’
He added that the decision on when to shut down would be ‘made by the plant’s management observing a strict security protocol’.
He said voluntary cuts in power usage by households and more than 300 companies, made after a government appeal, had reduced demand by 400 MW, easing some pressure on the grid.
‘For the time being there is no need for mandatory restrictions in power consumption for companies,’ Mr Magyar said, adding however that the government could bring in curbs as soon as Monday if necessary.
Energy Minister Istvan Kapitany said the list of companies curbing power demand included Hungarian energy group MOL, South Korean battery maker Samsung SDI, German carmaker Volkswagen’s premium Audi brand and Japanese car parts supplier Denso.
Falls in water levels have also disrupted shipping and tourism in Hungary and triggered water-use restrictions in more than 100 cities and villages, including on the outskirts of Budapest, according to government records.
Volunteer firefighters battle a wildfire burning near Porto Germeno, Greece, on August 2, 2026
Heavy smoke rises from a wildfire in the area of Porto Germeno, Greece, on August 1, 2026
Volunteer firefighters stand on the road, as a wildfire burns near the Agia Paraskevi village, Greece, August 2, 2026
The crisis could cost Hungary 100 billion to 200 billion forints (£235million to £471million) due to the surging price of imported electricity, Mark Radnai, vice chairman of Mr Magyar’s Tisza party, said.
The water levels in the Danube are so low that a Second World War-era Nazi ship was uncovered last week.
The German vessel was revealed after water levels in the river, located in Prahovo, Serbia, fell to record lows amid another blistering heatwave.
It is believed the German navy scuttled the boat, located in Europe’s second-largest waterway, as the crew fled the Soviet Army during the last days of the war.
An estimated 200 ships, including cargo ships and barges, sit at the bottom of the Danube, according to the European Investment Bank.
The wrecks risk blocking commercial ships moving along the river, which costs Serbia approximately £4.3million per year to remove debris.
Over in Greece, flames bore down deeper into the region of the capital, forcing fresh evacuations in the early hours of Monday following the helicopter crash over the weekend.
The collision laid bare the danger at the most volatile front of Europe’s wildfire emergency.
The two crew members – one Greek and one Danish national – died when their helicopter collided with another near the seaside area of Psatha while tackling the fire that started Friday morning.
Charred landscapes and the destruction left behind in the aftermath of a massive wildfire in areas around the San Juan Reservoir and neighbouring towns in Spain on August 01, 2026
A volunteer firefighter observes a flame rising next to a house during a wildfire near Porto Germeno, Greece, Sunday, August 2, 2026
Old cars, ships and weapons are being spotted on the beds of rivers across Europe
The blaze raged through pine forests and scrubland through the weekend, whipped by gale-force winds that often prevented water-dropping planes from operating
The crew of the second helicopter – a Greek and a British national – were taken to a hospital, where their injuries were reported to be light.
Foreign firefighting and helicopter crews are often deployed in Greece to help tackle wildfires during the country’s hot, dry summers.
Strong winds were dying down Monday, raising hopes that the nearly 500 firefighters battling the blaze could manage to halt its advance.
But authorities warned the broader Athens region of Attica remained at a high risk for wildfires due to a forecast increase in temperatures.
More than 1,000 people have been evacuated from the region, including more than 250 rescued by boats from beaches in the area.
Evacuation orders were issued in the early hours of Monday for three more areas, while crews worked to create firebreaks in a forest to help halt the advance of the blaze.
Greece’s firefighting department said Sunday the fire apparently began from sparks emitted by a faulty power line transporting electricity from a private wind generator facility to the main electricity network.
Two people were arrested – an electrical engineer responsible for designing and overseeing the power project, and a contractor involved in constructing the electricity transmission network.
Both face felony arson charges, while authorities had also issued an arrest warrant for the owner of the wind generator company.
A burnt-out house in the Iruelas Valley surrounded by scorched ground following a devastating wildfire near Madrid on July 30, 2026
Forest firefighters attempt to extinguish a wildfire in Sierra do Careon in Palas de Rei, Lugo, Spain, August 2 2026
Paks Nuclear Power Plant with the partially dried-up Danube riverbed in Dunaszentbenedek, Hungary, July 31, 2026
Greece has devastating wildfires every summer, with hot, dry conditions and frequently strong winds making it easy for small sparks to trigger major blazes. Measures to limit fire risks, such as bans on barbecues and certain outdoor work such as welding and use of electrical power saws are often ignored.
The vast majority of the hundreds of wildfires the country has each year are caused by negligence.
But some fires are deliberately set. On Sunday, authorities said one man was arrested on Kefalonia on suspicion of having started a fire that spread quickly in the southeastern part of the island, triggering the evacuation of nearby villages.
Farther west, France’s largest wildfire remained held within its perimeter on Sunday night after forcing 224,000 people to flee in what may have been the country’s largest civilian evacuation outside wartime.
Hot spots still burned within a 162-square-mile scar, thousands remained unable to return home, and nearly 3,000 firefighters were deployed against the Gironde megafire and a second blaze in Provence.
Together, fires in France and Spain have driven roughly a third of a million people from homes and vacation sites, emptied communities at the height of the European summer and stretched emergency services across simultaneous disasters.
