{
  "id": 23591,
  "title": "Hungary to shut sole nuclear plant for first time on Sunday",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/hungary-to-shut-sole-nuclear-plant-for-first-time-on-sunday",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-02T02:16:00.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "DW News",
    "slug": "dw-news",
    "url": "https://www.dw.com/en/hungary-to-shut-sole-nuclear-plant-for-first-time-on-sunday/a-78205668?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Hungary will shut down its only nuclear power plant, Paks, for the first time in its 44-year history on Sunday, Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced. The decision comes after the Danube river, which the plant relies on for cooling, has reached record-low levels due to months of drought and heat waves. The Paks plant, located 120 kilometers south of Budapest, generates over 40% of the country's electricity. Magyar warned that the plant could remain offline for weeks, causing significant strain on the power grid and public services. If necessary, the government may enforce power cuts on large users and households to avoid a complete blackout.",
  "summary": "Record-low water levels on the Danube forced the Paks plant offline, leaving Hungary facing a potential power crunch.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Hungary plans to shut down only nuclear power plant amid drought",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/hungary-plans-to-shut-down-only-nuclear-power-plant-amid-drought",
        "published": "2026-08-02T00:49:25.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Free Malaysia Today",
        "title": "Hungary’s PM announces closure of nuclear plant due to heatwave",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/hungarys-pm-announces-closure-of-nuclear-plant-due-to-heatwave",
        "published": "2026-08-02T05:33:50.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "France 24",
        "title": "Hungary: Successive heatwaves drain Danube river used to cool nuclear plant",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/02/hungary-successive-heatwaves-drain-danube-river-used-to-cool-nuclear",
        "published": "2026-08-02T08:55:03.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}