And Pakš completely suspends work.

The Paks Nuclear Power Plant in Hungary will completely shut down on Sunday, according to world media, for the first time in its 44-year history, due to the record-low water level of the Danube and a prolonged heat wave

This decision was confirmed by Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar (Peter Magyar), warning of a potentially multi-week outage and extreme pressures on the power grid and public services.

Drastic power reduction and record-low water level

The Paks nuclear power plant, located about 120 kilometers south of Budapest, uses water from the Danube to cool its reactors and under normal circumstances produces 2,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity, which covers more than 40 percent of Hungary's total production.

Due to months of rainfall below average and successive heat waves that have lasted since May, the Danube's water level has fallen to historic lows. In Budapest, the level was measured at only 23 centimeters, which is drastically below the previous record of 33 centimeters in 2018.

Otherwise, the shutdown of the fleet unfolded in stages: the penultimate unit was brought offline on Sunday at 01:30, and the plant's output before full shutdown had been reduced to just 240 megawatts.

Nevertheless, although it will not produce electricity, the Paks nuclear power plant remains completely safe, and there is no need for the sensationalism we have observed in some media. Water from the Danube is used to cool and condense the water used in the second loop that drives the turbines, while the water in the reactor is part of a completely closed system.

However, financial losses will be substantial. It is estimated that importing electricity to cover this gap in the system could cost Hungary between 120 billion and 240 billion forints (i.e., between 315 million and 630 million dollars).

Due to the crisis, authorities in Budapest are preparing measures for temporary disconnections and mandatory reductions in consumption by large industrial users, while households and public institutions are asked to voluntarily reduce consumption during the evening peak period between 17:00 and 22:00.

S.A.