Record low Danube River levels force nuclear plant shutdowns in Hungary and Romania, triggering energy emergency

Jul 31, 2026

A severe European heatwave and drought have dropped the Danube River to historic lows, forcing Hungary to schedule a complete shutdown of its 2-gigawatt Paks nuclear plant and prompting Romania to shut down a reactor at Cernavoda. Romania has declared a nationwide energy state of emergency for August 2026 and is seeking peak-hour power imports from Ukraine. Meanwhile, Hungary's Prime Minister Péter Magyar has warned of a critical energy crisis and urged public power conservation to prevent grid failure.

Nuclear plant shutdowns

▪Hungary's Paks nuclear power plant, which generates about half of the country's electricity, will be fully shut down within 24 to 72 hours due to record-low water levels in the River Danube.
▪Romania's state-owned nuclear producer Nuclearelectrica shut down reactor 1 at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant due to unprecedentedly low Danube water levels caused by severe drought.
▪Romania's Cernavoda nuclear power plant specialists kept reactor 2 operating after determining its parameters allowed safe operation, though officials warned a shutdown could be necessary at any time.

Record low Danube levels

▪The water flow of the Danube river where it enters Romania fell to 1,600 cubic meters per second on July 29, 2026, compared to the historical July average of 4,750 cubic meters per second.
▪The Danube's gauge level in Budapest, Hungary, fell to 23 centimeters on July 29, 2026, breaking the previous record low of 33 centimeters set in 2018.

River navigation disruption

▪Bulgarian border police evacuated 186 tourists from the Viking Ullur cruise ship after it ran aground on the Danube river near the port city of Vidin.
▪Cargo ship operations on the Danube river have stopped nearly entirely in Hungary, and water levels in parts of Romania are one meter below the navigable minimum.

European heatwave conditions

▪Europe is enduring one of its hottest summers on record, with temperatures in Germany, Serbia, and other regions forecast to reach up to 40°C.
▪Wildfires driven by extreme heat have forced mass evacuations of residents and holidaymakers in France and Spain.

Energy crisis response measures

▪Romania is seeking peak-hour electricity imports from neighboring Ukraine and other countries to stabilize its national grid during the energy emergency.
▪Romania declared a nationwide state of emergency in the energy sector for August 2026 due to declining electricity production caused by the Danube drought.
▪Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar warned of a potential energy crisis starting August 3, 2026, and urged the public to limit power usage during peak hours.

Heat-related mortality Germany

▪Germany's Robert Koch Institute reported that 9,800 people died due to heat-related conditions during the summer of 2026, marking the highest annual toll since 2016.
▪Over 5,000 of the heat-related deaths in Germany were attributed to a severe heatwave during the second half of June 2026, when temperatures reached 40°C.