GOVERNMENT URGES MAJOR ENERGY CONSUMERS TO CUT USAGE

BUDAPEST, JULY 30 /SRNA-Reuters/ - Hungary will ask major consumers, including battery and car manufacturers, to voluntarily reduce their electricity consumption between 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. during the heatwave, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said.

Magyar said that the shutdown of the Paks nuclear power plant and an expected 20 per cent surge in electricity demand during the evening peak due to the heat could lead to a critical situation by Monday.

He earlier said that extreme heat and low water levels on the Danube had forced a reduction in output at the Paks nuclear power plant.