Low Water Level in the Lower Danube River May Result in Nuclear Plant Shutdowns in Hungary and Romania: River Traffic Halted and Several Boats Are Marooned, and One Ship Ran Aground

     Low water levels in the Lower Danube River have resulted in power cuts from Hungary’s only nuclear power plant near Paks. Three of the four reactors at the 2GW power plant have been shut down, and the plant is expected to be fully shut down as soon as this weekend. Downstream in Romania, another nuclear plant, the Cernavoda nuclear plant east of Bucharest, has shut down one of its two reactors. Hungarian leader Peter Magyar has called for people to conserve energy. Lower Danube water is required to cool the reactors at these plants.

“In Budapest, Hungary's national water authority measured the Danube's gauge level at 23 centimeters (9 inches) on Wednesday morning, well below the previous record low of 33 centimeters (13 inches) set in 2018.”

     River traffic has also been halted, including cargo ships and river cruises.

“In neighboring Romania, the water level along parts of the Danube is already one meter (three feet) below the navigable minimum.”

“In Bulgaria, where the Danube forms a border with Romania, police on Tuesday evacuated 186 tourists from a cruise ship that had run aground near the port city of Vidin.”

“And in Serbia, hundreds of small boats and dozens of cargo ships were marooned on the dried out river bank near the northern city of Novi Sad, where the water in the Danube had withdrawn up to 20 meters (65 feet) away from the river's usual shore.”

     In Budapest, parts of the riverbed have been exposed, and a World War II era bomb was even found. The prolonged drought has been exacerbated by a European heat wave that continues. Unfortunately, no significant rainfall is in the forecast. August is typically dry in the region, and there are estimates that the river level could drop up to 18 inches below the previous low-water level record set in 2018.  

“Hungary's government has requested that large companies that consume large quantities of energy voluntarily reduce their consumption to help stabilize the energy supply, particularly in peak demand hours between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m.”

“Magyar said Hungarian energy conglomerate MOL had committed to reducing its electricity needs by 65 megawatt-hours, a decrease of 40% from its normal consumption.”

“Magyar announced Friday that his party had recommended suspending parliamentary sessions planned for Monday and Tuesday in the interest of conserving energy. He also ordered that all state institutions turn off decorative lighting by Monday.” 

Addendum August 3, 2026

     Romania just blew up a rock outcrop to help redirect cooling water from the Danube to its last working nuclear reactor. Hungary is hoping to get two more days of power from its plant before it shuts down. The Romanian navy blew up the rocks, sending a large plume of water, debris, smoke, and dust into the air. They plan to dam off some of the water to keep some cooling water available. This is expected to be completed in a few days. Romania’s Renault auto plant has been taken offline. This, along with other voluntary cuts, has enabled a big reduction in demand. Both Romania and Hungary have been forced to import power to make up the shortfalls. 

References:

 

Danube water levels: Hungary, Romania cut nuclear output. Matt Ford AFP, AP, Reuters. DW. July 30, 2026. Danube water levels: Hungary, Romania cut nuclear output

Hungary braces for a full shutdown of the Paks nuclear plant as the Danube River hits record lows: Hungary's only nuclear power plant is shutting down for the first time due to record-low water levels on the Danube River. Justin Spike. Associated Press. July 31, 2026. Hungary braces for a full shutdown of the Paks nuclear plant as the Danube River hits record lows - ABC News

Romania blasts rocks to reroute Danube water to reactor, Hungary gets reprieve. Reuters. August 3, 2026. Romania blasts rocks to reroute Danube water to reactor, Hungary gets reprieve