The Hungarian government has announced the temporary full shutdown of the country's sole nuclear power plant, Paks, due to record-low water levels in the Danube River, which have left insufficient water for cooling the reactors.
Prime Minister Peter Magyar stated that the plant would be completely powered down on Sunday, marking the first full shutdown in its 44-year history. Paks supplies nearly half of Hungary's electricity, making this decision a significant threat to the nation's energy security.
Currently, the plant's output has plummeted: it was 965 megawatts on Friday and dropped to 240 megawatts overnight, far below the normal 2,000 megawatts. The Soviet-built facility, with four reactors, draws cooling water directly from the Danube, but the river's shallowness is preventing the pumps from drawing enough water.
Experts note that a river level of minus 134 centimeters at Paks necessitates a full shutdown. Forecasts suggest the level could fall to as low as minus 144 centimeters, well below the previous record of minus 98 centimeters set in 2018.
The Danube, flowing from Germany to the Black Sea, is one of several major European rivers whose levels have dropped due to months of heat and drought. Hungary has imposed water-use restrictions in more than 100 cities and villages.
The government has also asked companies that use large amounts of water in their operations to voluntarily reduce consumption to help stabilize the situation. This is exacerbating water scarcity across the country.
This record-breaking climate event has also disrupted shipping, tourism, agriculture, and industry in Hungary, which was already grappling with sluggish economic growth. Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico announced that his country is closely monitoring the energy situation and is ready to help.
Europe has experienced successive heatwaves since May, with the most severe recorded in June. Scientists at the World Weather Attribution group say evidence points to human-caused climate change as the culprit behind the unprecedented temperatures.
Source: www.aljazeera.com