Due to low water levels in the Danube, a complete shutdown of the Paks nuclear power plant—and consequently a halt in electricity generation—will be unavoidable in the next 24–72 hours, MVM Paks Nuclear Power Plant Ltd. announced on its website early Thursday afternoon. The shutdown has not yet been carried out. According to a statement by Prime Minister Péter Magyar on Friday, electricity supply remains stable for now, while the Paks plant is operating at around 960 megawatts—less than half of its rated capacity of 2,000 megawatts.
The Paks nuclear power plant, which provides nearly half of Hungary’s electricity generation, is cooled by the Danube. The water is needed to cool the condensers. However, the Danube’s water level is currently 28 centimeters below the previous record low set in 2018, which was more than 1 meter lower than the 100-year minimum water level taken into account during the plant’s design more than 40 years ago, the company announced on Thursday.
Although this volume of water would still be sufficient to cool the reactor units, the suction inlets of the pumps required for this purpose are located higher than the current low water level—which is expected to drop further—and thus cannot perform their function.
Work has begun on the technical modifications required to lower the suction pipes. Within a few years, the nuclear power plant will be able to continue operations even at water levels lower than the current one, they announced.
The nuclear power plant is prepared to handle the emergency situation of a complete shutdown,
they emphasized.
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Due to water level forecasts that change several times a day, the nuclear power plant is currently unable to provide an estimate for the complete shutdown. According to the company’s calculations, the timeframe within which the shutdown must be carried out is 24–72 hours, they indicated.
They are also prepared for the possibility that the Danube could experience a further extreme drop in water levels.
In this event, special mobile pumps ensure that the water volume necessary to keep the nuclear power plant’s idle units cooled is always available. Even in the event of extremely low water levels lasting for weeks, the units will be kept in a safe condition. Once the appropriate water level is reached, power generation at the units will be restarted immediately and in stages. Depending on the water level, the restart of the units could take place in a few days.
However, a sustained extreme drop in water levels will necessitate further improvements in the future. These improvements are already underway, and according to plans, electricity generation will be able to continue uninterrupted even at significantly lower water levels within a few years, the company emphasized.
The management is asking the public to help maintain Hungary’s electricity supply security by using electricity responsibly. The government has also drawn the public’s attention to this issue. The prime minister noted that the critical period is between 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., and indicated that grid load is highest between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. during that time.
The government had previously called on major industrial consumers to voluntarily reduce their electricity and water usage in response to the ongoing heatwave.
In response, Samsung SDI’s battery plant in Göd announced on Friday that it had cut its drinking water consumption by 50% and electricity use by 10%. The company said it is also exploring further opportunities to reduce consumption and remains in close contact with electricity and water utility providers. The measures will remain in place until the supply situation stabilizes, the company added.
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Via MTI, Featured image: MTI/Kiss Dániel
