European heatwave ravages, Hungary, Romania forced to cut public lighting

In early August 2026, due to sustained heat waves and severe drought, the water level of the Danube River, the second largest river in Europe, dropped to a historic low. Hungary and Romania have successively taken large-scale energy-saving measures. Hungary has closed the decorative lighting of iconic buildings such as the Budapest Parliament Building, Buda Castle, and Chain Bridge, while Bucharest, the capital of Romania, has dimmed the brightness of streetlights by about one-third.

Nuclear power plant shut down due to insufficient cooling water, Hungary faces' most critical 5 days'

  The continuous decline in water level of the Danube River directly threatens the operation of nuclear power plants that rely on river water cooling. On August 1st, Hungarian Prime Minister Mao Zedong announced on social media that the water level of the Danube River has further decreased, and the country's only nuclear power plant, Paks Nuclear Power Plant, has once again reduced its power generation to a normal level of 2000 megawatts, which had already dropped to 480 megawatts at the time. On August 2nd, this 44 year old nuclear power plant announced its first comprehensive shutdown. The nuclear power plant supplies nearly half of the electricity in Hungary.

  The Hungarian Prime Minister has referred to the next few days as the "most critical 5 days" and announced that all state institutions will shut down decorative and non essential lighting facilities. The Budapest Parliament Building, Buda Castle, and Chain Bridge - iconic buildings that attract millions of tourists every year - have all turned off their nighttime decorative lighting. The Hungarian government has requested major industrial electricity users to voluntarily reduce their electricity consumption, and many companies have agreed to adjust production to reduce energy demand during the evening peak period.

Tourists disappointed but residents supported, mayflies unexpectedly benefited

  On August 6th, the temperature in Budapest climbed to 40 to 42 degrees Celsius. Silke Schneiders, a tourist from Germany, expressed great disappointment: "I may only come to Budapest once in my lifetime. Last night, I climbed to the mountaintop and waited to see the buildings light up, only to find it pitch black." However, many Hungarian residents believe that this was the right decision, "although regrettable, I am still grateful for everything I have now," said another tourist, Benjamin Thomas Tucker.

  Interestingly, Budapest's mayflies - a protected species - unexpectedly became beneficiaries of turning off lights. Every summer, thousands or even millions of mayflies emerge from the water and complete their reproduction within a few hours before dying. Associate Professor Gyorgy Kriska from Roland University explained, "Light pollution is very dangerous for mayflies, as they are attracted by riverbank lights. Turning off the lights is the best way to protect them.

  Bucharest introduces 25 energy-saving measures, dimming street lights by 30%.

Neighboring Romania has also been hit by the energy crisis. The only nuclear power plant in the country, Cernavod ă Unit 1, has been shut down due to low water levels in the Danube River. On August 3rd, Bucharest Mayor Ciprian Ciucu held a meeting with major municipal electricity users and identified 25 energy-saving measures.

  Starting from August 5th, Bucharest will reduce the brightness of LED street lights by about 30% and turn off nighttime lighting for landmark buildings and museums. Electric buses stop charging during the evening rush hour from 7:30pm to 11:00pm. All indoor and outdoor lighting at the city hall headquarters and cultural institutions (including museums, theaters, metropolitan libraries, etc.) will be turned off at night. The authorities also notified private advertising operators to turn off digital screens and illuminated advertisements from 8:00 to 11:00 pm every night in August.

Several European countries are facing the impact of heatwaves

  Hungary and Romania are not isolated cases. Italy has placed all major cities under the highest level of health alert; France and Spain have suffered particularly severe wildfires in recent weeks; The temperature in some areas of Austria has also exceeded 41 degrees Celsius. The EU Environment Commissioner stated that the EU will urge member states to increase investment to reduce wildfire risks. The Kozlodoi Nuclear Power Plant in Bulgaria has established a special task force to address the impact of the Danube River's water level drop.

  This crisis has profoundly revealed the severe challenges that extreme weather poses to Europe's energy infrastructure - when rivers can no longer cool reactors, when lights are forced to go out one by one, the lighting industry and even the entire energy system are facing the reality of climate change.