Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar said the country is entering a critical five-day period due to extreme heat and the complete shutdown of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, which is expected to occur on August 2.
“We are facing the five most critical days. … Due to the continued drop in the Danube's water level, another operating turbo-generator at Unit 4 was shut down at 1:30 a.m. today,” Magyar said in a video address published on Facebook. “Today, for the first time in 44 years, the Paks Nuclear Power Plant is expected to come to a complete stop. Given the current water level in the Danube, this is unavoidable.”
At the same time, Magyar assured the public that Hungary's power system “is operating steadily.”
Hungary's 2-gigawatt Paks nuclear power plant, home to four Russian-built reactors, was generating slightly more than 10% of its total capacity on August 2 after the Danube River, which supplies cooling water to the facility, receded to a record low level.
The country's water authority warned that the Danube, stretching from Germany to the Black Sea, is expected to fall even further over the next few days.
The declining water level has also hampered shipping and tourism across Hungary, while prompting water-use restrictions in more than 100 towns and villages, including areas on the outskirts of Budapest, government records show.
Magyar again urged businesses, public institutions, local authorities and households to sharply cut or shift their electricity consumption during the evening peak period from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.
By Jeyhun Aghazada
