Hungary Uses Sunken Barges to Raise Danube River to Keep Nuclear Plant Going
- Hungary began sinking two large barges in the Danube River near the Paks Nuclear Power Plant to raise water levels and protect the plant's cooling system as river flow had become critically low.
- Current forecasts predict the Danube's water level near Paks could drop below-132 centimeters by Monday, threatening the shutdown of one turbine, and possibly below-140 centimeters, risking full plant closure.
- Emergency measures include controlled barge sinking, construction of temporary riverbed structures, and the use of helicopters to place concrete blocks and rocks to raise water levels.
- The situation remains serious, and efforts involve around 130 workers and military helicopters, with authorities urgently requesting equipment and materials to complete temporary structures and maintain cooling water supply.
24 Articles
24 Articles
Government sinks barges in Danube to protect nuclear plant output
The controlled sinking of the barges has begun, and water levels at the pumping station have already risen by one centimetre, while a continuous drop in water levels continues to be recorded in the main channel of the Danube — the Prime Minister announced on Saturday morning in Paks, at a press conference held beside the nuclear power plant's cold-water canal.
"Today alone, 5,000 tons of stone arrived in Paks," the prime minister wrote on his social media page.
Due to the historically low Danube level, the controlled sinking of two 80-metre-long, firmly anchored barges has begun as an emergency measure.
The drought that has sunk the Danube level is making it difficult to cool down the Paks nuclear power plant.
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