The European Commission says it is prepared to convene an emergency meeting of its Electricity Coordination Group over the shutdown of Hungary's Paks nuclear plant, as the country's prime minister warned of a looming energy crisis.
"Although the operator has emergency measures in place to guarantee nuclear safety, an event of this kind could further strain the regional electricity balance," the Commission's spokesperson, Anna-Kaisa Itkonen, told Euronews. "The Commission stands ready to convene an ad hoc meeting of the Electricity Coordination Group."
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar has warned that the country could face an energy crisis as early as next week, after Paks – which supplies almost half of Hungary's energy needs – was taken offline following record-low water levels in the Danube, which is used to cool the reactors. It is the first time the plant has been shut down completely since it opened 42 years ago.
"This means 2,000 megawatts will be lost from Hungarian energy production from Monday at the latest, while demand for residential and public consumption continues to rise because of the heat," Magyar said on Thursday evening.
The government has asked the public and businesses to cut energy use during the peak hours between 5pm and 10pm, urging people to avoid using air conditioning and washing machines in particular.
Magyar explained that the government has also drawn up an emergency plan to limit consumption at industrial facilities on a rotational basis. The output of other power plants in Hungary will also be increased.
"Given the severity of this unprecedented situation, we are asking everyone – large consumers and the public alike – to act responsibly," he said. "It is in our common interest to avoid unplanned outages and the kind of unexpected system collapse seen in Western Europe and the Balkans."
András Perger, an expert at the Hungarian NGO Energiaklub, told Euronews that the country stands to lose 25–30 percent of its energy output from Monday, describing the situation as a serious test of Hungary's energy supply.
"From Monday, when consumption is expected to rise and the Paks plant remains offline, a more serious situation will begin," Perger said. "This will be a serious test for Hungarian and regional supply alike."
He added that some of Hungary's demands could be met through imports from neighbouring countries, though the availability of hydroelectric power is itself limited in the region.
In Romania, the shutdown of one reactor poses less of a problem, given that nuclear energy makes up a smaller share of the country's energy mix.
"Although the situation in Hungary is stretched, I don't expect this to cause serious regional problems," Perger said.
Friends of the Earth Hungary, an environmental NGO says the development around the Paks Nuclear Plant is not an isolated incident but a climate adaptation challenge.
"Hungary needs to speed up its transition into a more resilient, decentralised energy system that relies less on climate-vulnerable infrastructure and more on energy savings, flexibility and renewable energy," Executive President Ákos Éger said in a statement sent to Euronews.
The Commission's Itkonen said Brussels is closely monitoring the electricity supply situation in both Hungary and Romania, though she stressed there are currently no immediate energy security concerns.
According to the Commission, the Electricity Coordination Group could aim to facilitate information-sharing and coordinate next steps among countries in the region. The process will be watched closely as Hungary heads into what officials on both sides describe as a critical test of the country's energy resilience.
