Hungary’s emergency operation to raise the Danube’s water level near the Paks Nuclear Power Plant has produced its first encouraging result, even before the two barges being sunk in the river have reached the bottom.
The two 80-metre barges were positioned across the Danube as part of the emergency intervention designed to slow the river and raise water levels at the power plant’s cold-water intake. According to Gyula Kovács, the local technical coordinator of Hungary’s water management authority, simply positioning the barges across the river has already created a small damming effect.
During the first day, a 4-centimetre difference was measured between the water levels above and below the barges. By Saturday morning, the difference had increased to 7–8 centimetres. At the nuclear plant’s cold-water intake, the arrangement had already raised the water level by around one centimetre.
Engineers hope to restore reactor operations
The early results could prove crucial as the Danube continues to fall. Károly Vigh, operations director of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, said that once the effect of the temporary bottom weir currently being constructed becomes apparent, the reactors will gradually be brought back online.
According to Vigh, Unit 3 will be restarted first, followed by Unit 1. The plant can only return to its nominal maximum output once the water level at the intake has risen by approximately 25 centimetres from its current level.
Emergency intervention aims to prevent further shutdowns
The emergency works are designed to prevent the exceptionally low Danube level from forcing further reductions in the plant’s output. Prime Minister Péter Magyar said on Saturday that without the intervention, the river could fall to a level at which one of the plant’s two currently operating turbines would have to be shut down. A further decline could eventually lead to a complete shutdown.
The government is therefore combining the controlled sinking of the barges with the construction of a temporary bottom weir to raise the river level around the plant. Magyar said the immediate goal was to keep the two remaining operating turbines running and then gradually restore the others once sufficient water levels had been secured.
If you missed it: Hungary begins sinking barges to save Paks NPP and raise critically low Danube levels, PM Magyar receives good news
Political leaders stay away from Paks operation
During his press conference at the site, Magyar also criticised opposition party leaders for not accepting his invitation to visit the emergency works. He said leaders of Fidesz and other parliamentary parties had not attended the briefing and accused them of failing to offer assistance or call for national cooperation.
The prime minister also criticised what he described as misinformation about the situation online. The immediate focus, however, remains on the engineering operation at Paks, where water-management specialists are working against the clock to raise the Danube enough to protect the nuclear plant’s operations.
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