Hungary’s Nuclear Plant Avoids Shutdown as Water Level Expected to Stay High Enough
Emergency river works kept two turbines running and could restore full output by next week, officials said.
- On Wednesday, Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced that Hungary's Paks nuclear power plant avoided a complete shutdown, confirming that "none of the operating turbines will have to be switched off" despite historic drought conditions.
- Earlier in August, historic drought pushed the Danube to record-low levels, forcing Paks to run at just 25% of capacity with only two of its eight turbines operational.
- Engineering interventions including the controlled sinking of two 80-metre barges and construction of a submerged riverbed sill raised water levels by 10-15 centimetres, keeping Paks's two active turbines online.
- Six idle turbines can begin a gradual restart on Sunday, Magyar said, with experts expecting the plant to return to full capacity by Thursday or Friday next week.
- Neighbouring Romania shut down its Cernavod nuclear facility earlier this month, highlighting how Danube-dependent energy infrastructure remains vulnerable to extreme drought conditions across the region.
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Hungary restarts only nuclear power plant at full capacity after flooding of barges on the DanubeA Hungary will start connecting the stalled Paksh NPP turbines from Sunday. The complete stop of the station was avoided after raising the level Danube.
The Hungarian Prime Minister, Péter Magyar, announced Wednesday evening at Paks that the nuclear power plant will operate again at maximum capacity by Thursday next week. The statement comes after an inspection on the Danube shore and marks the end of the technical operation through which Hungary has managed to raise the level of the river, avoiding the shutdown of reactors.
In Hungary, the Pakš nuclear power plants, which have been limited by low water levels in the Danube, will be gradually restored, and the station should be fully operational next week.
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar (Tisza) announced on Wednesday evening that the Paks nuclear power plant will not need to be shut down and that all turbines will be gradually switched on next week. Water managers and the army have built a weir at the plant, which has raised the level of the Danube, whose water is used to cool the reactors.
Hungary's nuclear plant avoids shutdown as water level expected to stay ...
Hungary’s Paks nuclear plant avoids further shutdown
Hungary has avoided another shutdown at the Paks nuclear power plant despite the Danube approaching a critical low, Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced on Wednesday evening. The government now expects the plant to begin restoring additional capacity from Sunday and potentially return to full operation by the end of next week.Continue reading
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