To avoid shutting down its NPP, Hungary is urgently changing the bottom of the Danube
Hungary has decided to urgently change the bed of the Danube near the Paks NPP to prevent a critical drop in water level and an emergency shutdown of the station, reports "European Pravda".
The shallow Danube in Budapest. Photo: AP Photo/Bela Szandelszky
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced that the government has instructed to start works as early as August 13. The reason was the heatwave and the drastic shallowing of the Danube, which creates problems with supplying the NPP with water for the cooling system.
It is planned to construct a kind of barrier-threshold on the riverbed, which will connect the two banks of the Danube between the Paks NPP and the town of Dunaszentbenedek. It should retain part of the water and prevent its further level reduction near the station.
In the first phase, about 35 thousand cubic meters of stone are planned to be used for construction, and then another about 110 thousand cubic meters will be added. The preliminary cost of the project is estimated at approximately 6 billion forints (about 19 million dollars).
The authorities expect that the structure will allow maintaining the water level in the NPP's cooling channel no lower than minus 90 centimeters for several weeks. This should enable the station to continue operating at full capacity.
In parallel, Hungarian authorities are preparing another emergency measure. Two 80-meter barges are being sent to Paks, which, if necessary, are planned to be controlledly sunk in the river. According to government calculations, this could temporarily raise the Danube's level by approximately 20 centimeters and prevent a complete shutdown of the NPP while the permanent threshold is being built.
The first barge is expected to arrive in Paks from Mohács on the evening of August 12, the second — the next day.
Magyar stated that the construction of the threshold and the preparation of the barges will be used simultaneously as two complementary mechanisms. The government considers them the most effective and safest way to prevent problems with the NPP's operation under low water conditions.
The situation with the Danube has become particularly acute against the backdrop of a prolonged heatwave. As early as August 6, Hungary introduced emergency measures to save electricity. Péter Magyar also criticized previous authorities, stating that they had not ensured sufficient diversification of the energy system in case of problems with the Paks NPP.