Hungary braces for energy crunch after Danube drought shuts Paks reactor

Hungary faces a critical five days as a record drought forces the shutdown of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, which normally supplies about 40% of the country’s electricity. The outage prompts energy-saving measures, calls to reduce peak-hour consumption, and potential industrial curbs, while authorities and neighbors prepare contingency steps and the EU monitors the situation amid forecast heat and drought across Europe.