Danube low water threatens Paks

Hungary’s Paks nuclear power plant cut output this week as record-low water levels on the Danube reduced the cooling water available to the country’s only nuclear station. CBS reported on August 5 that three of Paks’s four reactors were offline by Wednesday morning and the fourth was operating at about 50% power. Earlier in the week, Deutsche Welle, citing wire reports, said the plant had been running at a little more than 10% of capacity on Monday. Paks normally generates roughly half of Hungary’s electricity, according to CBS, making the river-level crisis an immediate power-supply issue as southeastern Europe faces prolonged heat and drought. CNBC reported on August 5 that low water on the Danube has also strained energy generation elsewhere in the region, including Romania’s Cernavoda nuclear plant and Serbia’s hydropower output. (cbsnews.com) ### How did low river levels force a nuclear plant to slow down? The Danube supplies cooling water directly to Paks, and CBS reported that the 44-year-old Soviet-designed plant was built without the large cooling towers common at many nuclear stations in the United States, Britain, Germany and France. That design leaves the plant more exposed when river flow drops and water temperatures rise. (cbsnews.com) Deutsche Welle reported on August 3 that Paks had been reduced to about 10% of capacity because of a lack of cooling river water. CBS said Prime Minister Péter Magyar visited the site on Tuesday and said “several factors” would determine whether Hungary’s most important power plant could avoid a complete shutdown in the coming days. (cbsnews.com) ### How much electricity is at risk in Hungary? CBS said Paks generates roughly 50% of Hungary’s electricity on normal days. Deutsche Welle, citing wire reports, said the four-reactor station typically accounts for almost half of Hungary’s electricity production and about a third of consumption. Both accounts point to the same practical problem: a large share of the country’s power supply has been constrained at the same time as temperatures in Budapest were expected to top 100 degrees Fahrenheit. (dw.com) Péter Magyar said there were “a few critical days left,” according to CBS, and asked Hungarians to continue conserving power. CBS also reported that more than 300 government-linked buildings in Budapest were ordered to switch off lights, including illumination at landmarks such as Buda Castle and the Chain Bridge. ### Why are other Danube countries taking emergency steps too? (cbsnews.com) Romania’s military used controlled explosions on the Danube to improve water flow toward the Cernavoda nuclear plant, CNBC reported, describing the move as part of an effort to direct more water to cooling systems. Deutsche Welle said Romanian forces demolished a rocky outcrop exposed by low water and that officials warned the plant could otherwise face a shutdown. (cbsnews.com) CNBC said the drought has disrupted not only nuclear generation but also freight transport and industry across Europe, with the Rhine and Danube both at exceptionally low levels. Liz Saccoccia, water security lead at the World Resources Institute, told CNBC that when water levels fall on rivers such as the Rhine and Danube, the effects extend beyond the waterways to trade, industry and energy generation. (cnbc.com) ### What are officials watching next at Paks? CBS reported on August 5 that little precipitation was forecast for at least 10 days and that Danube levels were expected to fall further before a possible cold front on Friday. Magyar said there was “light at the end of the tunnel” because forecasters expected cooler weather at the end of the week. (cnbc.com) The next immediate marker is the river level over the coming days and whether cooler weather lifts operating conditions enough for Paks to restore output. Hungarian officials and plant managers were still monitoring those conditions on August 5 as the station remained well below normal generation. (cbsnews.com)