Hungary’s only nuclear power plant is to shut down for the first time in its history due to record-low water levels on the Danube River, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Friday, adding that the plant might not come back online for several weeks as the river is expected to continue receding.
The Paks nuclear plant, located around 90km south of the capital, Budapest, is operating at less than half its normal capacity, producing 965 megawatts of power rather than the usual 2,000.
The plant uses water from the Danube to cool its reactors, but the exceptionally low water level has tested the ability of pumps to bring sufficient quantities into the plant.
Photo: REUTERS
Speaking at a news conference at the plant on Friday, Magyar said further reductions in output were imminent later on Friday and that the entire plant would likely be powered down by Tuesday or Wednesday. He stressed that the shutdown can be performed safely and poses no risk to the public or environment.
The Soviet-built, four-reactor plant at Paks accounts for nearly half of Hungary’s electricity production. If it is powered down, it would be the first time in its 44 years of service.
Hungary and much of Central Europe has been in a prolonged period of drought in the past few months, disrupting tourism, agriculture and industry, and confronting residents with the realities of climate change. Water levels are not expected to rise on the Danube in the coming days or even weeks as no significant rainfall is forecast.
Magyar said on Friday that the Danube’s water level has only risen on three occasions in the month of August in the last 20 years, and added that the level at Paks could recede to as low as negative 144cm — far below the previous record of negative 98cm set in 2018.
A level of negative 134cm requires the full powering down of the plant, he said. A negative reading means the river has fallen below the gauge’s zero reference level, not that the river is empty.
Hungary’s government has requested that large companies that consume large quantities of energy voluntarily reduce their consumption to help stabilize the energy supply, particularly in peak demand hours between 5pm and 10pm.
Hungarian energy conglomerate MOL had committed to reducing its electricity needs by 65 megawatt-hours, a decrease of 40 percent from its normal consumption, Magyar said.
Magyar announced on Friday that his party had recommended suspending parliamentary sessions planned for Monday and Tuesday in the interest of conserving energy. He also ordered that all state institutions turn off decorative lighting by tomorrow.
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