Hungary to Intervene on Danube to Avert Paks Nuclear Shutdown
Hungary is taking emergency steps to raise Danube water levels and prevent the first-ever full shutdown of its Paks nuclear plant.
Hungarian authorities will begin work this week to raise the level of the Danube River, a move aimed at keeping the country's sole nuclear power plant operational amid a severe drought.
Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced on Wednesday that crews would start building a bed sill — a low structure placed in the riverbed to slow the current and lift upstream water levels — on a stretch of the river just above the Paks facility. Around 145,000 cubic metres of rock will be delivered for the construction, which could raise the Danube by up to one metre.
In addition, two 80-metre barges are being moved to the site and may be sunk to add a further 20 centimetres of depth at the plant's cooling water intakes. A final decision on sinking the barges is expected on Friday.
The Soviet-era plant, which has operated for 44 years, relies on Danube water to cool its four reactors. It is currently running at just over 10% of its 2,000-megawatt capacity and supplies roughly one-third of Hungary's electricity. Without intervention, falling river levels could force a complete shutdown for the first time in its history.
Magyar described the situation as no longer a one-off natural extreme and called the bed sill a long-term safeguard against future low-water crises. He warned that water levels, after a brief recovery, are expected to drop again in the coming days.
"The Danube has given us days, not months," he said.
The prime minister estimated the plant's reduced output is costing the economy up to 50 billion forints ($158 million) per month, while the planned river works will cost around 6 billion forints ($19 million).
Similar emergency measures were taken in Romania last week, where four rock-laden barges were sunk in the Danube to direct water toward the Cernavoda nuclear plant, which had already halted one of its two reactors.