Budapest, Aug. 2 (SANA) Hungary is shutting down its only nuclear power plant for the first time in its 44-year history after record-low water levels in theDanube Riverreduced the facility’s cooling capacity, Prime Minister Péter Magyar said on Sunday.

According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), Magyar said one of the plant’s two remaining operating reactors would be taken offline as water levels in the Danube continued to fall.

He said output at thePaks nuclear power plantwould be reduced to just 240 megawatts before the facility is fully shut down on Monday, marking the first complete closure since it began operating in 1982.

Located about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Budapest, the Paks plant generates around one-third ofHungary‘s electricity and relies on water from the Danube to cool its reactors.

The shutdown follows months of exceptionally hot and dry weather that have pushed the river to record-low levels. Below-average rainfall and repeatedheatwavessince May have significantly reduced water available for reactor cooling.

The plant’s operator warned on Friday that continued declines in the Danube’s water level could force a complete shutdown by the middle of next week.

Hungary’s national meteorological service, HungaroMet, said the heatwave is expected to persist, with temperatures forecast to exceed 40°C (104°F) in the coming days and potentially reach 42°C (107.6°F) on Thursday, matching the country’s highest temperature on record.