Ukraine aids Hungary amid heatwave-induced energy crisis
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Kyiv exported 61 gigawatt hours in the last week of July to Budapest, reported the EU media Euractiv on Aug. 6, citing ENTSO-E, which represents European electricity grid operators.
High temperatures across Europe led Hungary to temporarily power down the country's only nuclear power plant on July 29 and increase electricity imports from its neighbors, including Ukraine.
Due to Russia's constant attacks on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, Ukraine has mostly been a net importer of electricity from Hungary.
But Ukraine's electricity grid has been synchronized with the wider EU grid since 2022, a process rushed through by the bloc to help Kyiv keep the lights on, but flows can move in both directions.
As much of Europe endures a record-breaking hot summer, nuclear power plants across the continent, which rely on water to cool their reactors, have had to wind down their operations because the water is either too hot or, in the case of Hungary, has nearly dried up altogether.
The Danube River's water level reached an all-time low in July, at only 30 centimeters in Budapest, which led Hungary to temporarily close its Paks Nuclear Plant for the first time ever.
The plant normally supplies half of the country's electricity.
Filling in that shortfall are the country's neighbors, with Ukraine second only to Poland in electricity exports to Hungary.
The Ukrainian and Hungarian governments did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.
However, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar tweeted on Aug. 6 that the Paks Nuclear Plant is beginning to come back online, as the Danube's water level gradually recovers.
"Regardless of this, on today's hot day there will still be a strong need for voluntary reductions in electricity consumption," Magyar said.
A European Commission spokesperson said that in all countries experiencing production shortfalls due to the heatwave, neighboring countries can cover the gap.
"Our assessment at the moment is that the situation is stable and there are no immediate security or supply concerns," the spokesperson told journalists.
