Hungary sinks barges in Danube to prevent Paks nuclear shutdown

Hungarian authorities on Saturday began the controlled sinking of two barges in the Danube near the Paks nuclear power plant as falling water levels again threatened to disrupt operations, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said.

The emergency operation is intended to raise the local water level and ensure the plant can continue drawing sufficient cooling water from the river.

“We have received good news, because the water level has already risen by one centimetre at the power plant's pumping station,” Magyar told a press conference at the site.

The two barges, positioned across part of the river near Paks, had initially been lowered by about 20 centimetres as part of the emergency intervention.

Magyar said current forecasts indicated that the Danube at Paks could fall below minus 132 centimetres early Monday. At that level, one of the plant’s two operating turbines would have to be shut down. If the river fell below about minus 140 centimetres, the entire nuclear plant could be forced offline, he said.

“We have to prevent this, and we will prevent it,” Magyar said, explaining the decision to sink the barges.

The emergency operation is being carried out alongside construction of a temporary riverbed sill designed to raise water levels around the plant’s cooling-water intake. Authorities are continuously monitoring the river’s water level, flow velocity and riverbed conditions.

The latest intervention follows weeks of exceptionally low Danube levels caused by prolonged hot and dry weather.

Low water levels have repeatedly affected Paks operations in recent weeks. Earlier this month, falling levels forced the plant to reduce its output. A temporary rise in the Danube subsequently allowed Unit 2 to gradually increase production again earlier this week.

Located about 100 km south of Budapest, Paks normally generates around half of Hungary’s electricity. Its four nuclear reactors rely on water from the Danube for cooling.

By Tamilla Hasanova