Hungary comes ‘within millimetres’ of shutting down nuclear power plant amid drought crisis – Europe live
Hungary's Paks nuclear power plant narrowly avoided a shutdown as record-low water levels in the Danube threatened cooling systems. Meanwhile, Romania is using controlled explosions to divert water to its own nuclear facility amid a severe regional drought and heatwave.
Why it matters
The crisis highlights the vulnerability of critical energy infrastructure to climate change-induced environmental shifts in Europe.
Hungary has come “within millimetres” of having to shut down its nuclear power plant overnight, prime minister Péter Magyar said, as low water levels in the Danube continue to pose challenges for countries in south-eastern Europe.
Paks Nuclear Power Plant with the partially dried-up Danube riverbed in Dunaszentbenedek, Hungary. “Around 1:30 a.m. we were a few millimetres away from completely shutting down the Paks Power Plant , but then the water level stopped falling and by morning it had risen 1.5 centimetres. The last turbine is currently operating safely,” Magyar said on social media.
The plant already operates at a reduced capacity of just over 10% after the Danube fell to a record low, making it impossible to cool it properly.
Energy minister István Kapitány said on Tuesday that a number of energy saving measures succeeded in lowering energy consumption to keep the grid secure.
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