Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said he was ready to assist Hungary amid an energy crisis caused by falling water levels in the Danube and the threat of a shutdown of the Paks I nuclear power plant.

“I am closely following the energy crisis in Hungary and express full solidarity with our neighbor and readiness to help,” Fico wrote on Facebook.

According to the Slovak prime minister, a complete shutdown of the Paks I nuclear power plant due to a lack of Danube water needed to cool the reactors could place Hungary in an “unprecedentedly difficult energy situation.”

Fico said he had discussed the situation with Slovak Deputy Prime Minister and Economy Minister Denisa Saková, as well as with Branislav Stryček, CEO and chairman of the board of Slovenské elektrárne.

At the same time, he noted that the Slovak nuclear power plants in Mochovce and Jaslovské Bohunice are not facing a similar threat thanks to a different reactor cooling system and continue to operate normally.

“The Slovak nuclear power plants in Mochovce and Jaslovské Bohunice are not in a crisis situation because of a different technical solution for reactor cooling and are operating within planned parameters,” Fico said.

Later, following Fico’s statement, the Paks I nuclear power plant was completely shut down for the first time in 44 years due to the continued drop in the Danube’s water level. The plant, Hungary’s only operating nuclear power station, provides about half of the country’s electricity generation.

The shutdown was caused by the drop in the Danube’s water level, which is used to cool the reactors. Against the backdrop of prolonged heat and drought in Central Europe, the river’s temperature and water volume reached levels at which further operation of the plant became impossible from a safety standpoint.