Nuclear plants along the Danube river in Hungary and Romania were forced to cut output this week and could be shut down completely in the coming days due to record low water levels, APA reports citing Reuters.
In France, where nuclear power provides roughly two-thirds of the country's electricity, output has also had to be cut because rivers are unable to provide water for cooling. Researchers say the problem has become a seasonal risk as climate change makes extreme heat and droughts more frequent.
Hungary's Paks nuclear plant could be powered down on Thursday or Friday, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Thursday.
The plant, which operates four Russian-built reactors with total capacity of 2 gigawatts and produces nearly half of Hungary's electricity, started cutting output on Monday and is running at less than 50% of capacity.
Magyar said the shutdown of the nuclear plant and an expected 20% jump in electricity demand in the evening peak hours due to the heatwave could result in a critical situation by Monday.
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