Hungary to shut sole nuclear plant for first time on Sunday
Hungary will shut down the Paks nuclear power plant on Sunday for the first time in its 44-year history, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said. He
Hungary will shut down the Paks nuclear power plant on Sunday for the first time in its 44-year history, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said. He made the announcement on social media late Saturday night, saying the decision was taken after a further drop in the Danube's water level. The plant, located 120 kilometers (74.5 miles) south of the capital, Budapest, uses water from the Danube to cool its reactors. It provides more than 40% of Hungary's electricity generation. Record-low Danube levels necessitated the shutdown The Danube has fallen to record-low levels in some areas after months of below-average rainfall and successive heat waves since May.
Hungary's water authority projected that the Danube, which flows from Germany to the Black Sea, would fall further in the coming days. It measured the Danube's water level in Budapest at 23 centimeters (9 inches) on Wednesday morning, well below the previous record low of 33 centimeters (13 inches) set in 2018. As a result, output at the Paks nuclear power plant had already been cut earlier in the week and some reactors shut down. "Due to a further decline in the Danube's water level, the second-to-last generating unit at the Paks nuclear power plant will be shut down at 1:30 a.m. (2330 GMT)," the prime minister said.
"As a result, the plant is now producing only 240 megawatts (of electricity), and tomorrow (on Sunday), for the first time in 44 years, it will be completely shut down," Magyar added. Hungary's large power users asked to cut power The surge in imported electricity prices could cost Hungary between 120 billion and 240 billion forints ($315 million to $630 million, €273 million to €546 million), Tisza Party Vice Chairman Mark Radnai said on Facebook. Magyar warned the Paks plant could remain offline for weeks and said his government would seek voluntary power cuts from large users, in addition to the 240 megawatts already pledged, with penalties for noncompliance.
No significant rain is in the forecast for the next few days and temperatures expected to rise to over 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) across the region Image: Robert Nemeti/Anadolu/picture alliance A decree would also allow grid operator MAVIR to mandate consumption cuts and temporarily disconnect large users if necessary. "Households will be the last to face restrictions," Magyar said. Edited by: Roshni Majumdar Don't let the algorithm hide the news. If you rely on our team for trusted reporting, please take a moment toselect us as your Preferred Source on Google, so you'll always see our verified news first.
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