Governments across Central and Eastern Europe are taking steps to conserve electricity and avert an energy crisis. Record-low water levels on the Danube River are threatening power plants and forcing both nuclear and hydropower facilities to curb their output.
While nuclear power is often viewed as a solution to global warming because it creates energy without the greenhouse gas emissions associated with coal or gas plants, it remains vulnerable to environmental changes. Rising temperatures and drought in Europe are currently causing shutdowns at nuclear facilities where water levels have become too low to cool the reactors.
Hungary is facing a particularly severe situation as its sole nuclear power plant, which provides electricity for half the country, is being shut down. Prime Minister Peter Magyar stated that the country faces a critical five days as the plant is halted for the first time in over four decades.