Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced on August 12 that construction of a bottom threshold along the Danube River near the Paks nuclear power plant will begin immediately. The project, which spans between the Paks nuclear power plant and the Dunasentbenedek settlement, aims to stabilize water levels in the river at critical heights.
Magyar stated that the threshold is necessary to prevent the water level from falling below -90 cm, ensuring the plant can operate at full capacity. He also noted plans for two 80-meter-long barges to be deployed along the riverbank. If needed, Magyar said he would use controlled flooding of these barges to temporarily raise water levels by up to 20 centimeters.
The temporary measure is intended to avoid a complete shutdown of Paks nuclear power plant, which costs Hungary €137 million per month in lost electricity generation. The construction effort itself is expected to cost approximately €16.5 million.
On August 3, Magyar urged Hungarians to reduce electricity consumption during peak hours after engineers at the plant managed to temporarily raise water levels by reducing cooling water usage, allowing one turbine (240 megawatts) to remain operational. By August 1, the second of Paks nuclear power plant’s four units had been shut down due to declining water levels, bringing overall output to less than 2,000 megawatts.
