- Hungary's government announced plans to build a riverbed sill and submerge two 80-metre barges in the Danube to manage water flow near the Paks nuclear plant.
- On Saturday, authorities began sinking the two barges in the Danube to raise the water level at the Paks plant.
- The water level at the Paks pumping station has already risen by about one centimeter, according to Prime Minister Peter Magyar.
- Workers are constructing an underwater barrier with about 5,000 metric tons of stone to slow the river and raise the level for cooling.
- Forecasts indicate the water level would drop to a critical level by early Monday morning, necessitating the shutdown of one of the two operating turbines.
- Romania shut down its last working reactor on Thursday due to the low level of the Danube.
- The Paks nuclear plant currently operates at around 25% of its capacity due to a historic drought and record low water levels on the Danube.
- The drought has raised questions in Hungary and Romania about an increasingly extreme climate.
Hungary's government has taken urgent measures to address critically low water levels in the Danube, which have forced the Paks nuclear plant to operate at just 25% capacity. Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced the sinking of two 80-meter barges to raise water levels and avert a shutdown of one of the plant's last two turbines.1
The controlled sinking of the barges began on Saturday, with the water level at the plant's pumping station already rising by about one centimeter. Magyar warned that forecasts indicated the water level could drop to a critical level by early Monday morning, necessitating the shutdown of one turbine. In addition to the barges, workers are constructing an underwater barrier to manage water flow, with about 5,000 metric tons of stone scheduled to arrive soon.45
The drought has raised concerns about climate extremes in Hungary and Romania, with Romania recently shutting down its last working reactor due to similar conditions. Authorities are also planning to build a riverbed6
“The plant operates at about 25% capacity due to record-low Danube levels, and forecasts show the water dropping to a critical point by early Monday, forcing a turbine shutdown. Workers are also building an underwater barrier with 5,000 metric tons of stone, while Romania already shut its last reactor.”
