The Hungarian government has ordered the immediate construction of a submerged riverbed weir on the Danube near Paks and is preparing an extraordinary temporary measure: two 80-metre barges could be deliberately sunk to raise the river level if necessary.

The government has taken urgent measures to protect the cooling-water supply of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant as exceptionally low Danube water levels continue to pose a challenge.

Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced on Wednesday that construction of a riverbed weir will begin immediately between the nuclear power plant and the settlement of Dunaszentbenedek. The project is intended to ensure that the water level at the plant’s cooling channel does not fall below -90 centimetres, allowing the country’s most important power plant to continue operating at full capacity.

A 150,000-cubic-metre construction project

Following an on-site government meeting at Paks, Magyar said work would begin as early as Thursday. Around 150,000 cubic metres of rock will ultimately be used to construct the submerged barrier in the Danube.

The project is being treated as a priority investment, with the authorities ordering round-the-clock construction work. One hundred soldiers have also been deployed to support the project, while General Pál Kádár has been appointed to coordinate the construction.

The technical planning will involve Budapest University of Technology and Economics, while the necessary permitting procedures will run alongside the construction work. According to Magyar, the permanent structure could secure the necessary water level within a matter of weeks.

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Two barges could be sunk if the water drops again

The government is also preparing a rather unusual emergency measure. Two 80-metre-long barges will be placed on standby near Paks. If the Danube level falls rapidly again before the permanent weir is completed, the government could deliberately sink the vessels at a controlled location.

According to Magyar, this could temporarily raise the river level by up to 20 centimetres, helping prevent a complete shutdown of the nuclear power plant.

The measure is being considered because water levels have already fallen to exceptionally low levels this summer. Although the Danube rose temporarily in recent days, forecasts indicate that it could soon fall below -140 centimetres again.

Paks shutdown could cost billions

The government says the extraordinary intervention is justified by the potential economic consequences of losing the plant’s full output. Magyar said a complete shutdown of the Paks nuclear power plant would impose a cost of at least HUF 50 billion per month on the state budget. By comparison, the measures currently ordered by the government are expected to cost around HUF 6 billion.

The low water levels have already affected the plant’s operation. One of the units was previously operating at reduced capacity, although the third turbine of Unit 2 was switched back on earlier this week after the Danube rose 19 centimetres above its recent low. The latest trend, however, suggests that the river could soon return to extremely low levels.

Read more about Hungary’s water and energy crisis on Daily News Hungary.

Paks has warned about the problem before

The long-term implications of increasingly low Danube water levels have also raised concerns among experts. Paks deputy mayor István Barnabás recently called on the government to examine all possible solutions for guaranteeing the nuclear plant’s long-term cooling-water supply in changing climatic conditions.

Meanwhile, Attila Aszódi, former government commissioner responsible for the Paks expansion, recently told 24.hu that he had warned the government as early as 2018 that future Danube water levels and temperatures could create problems for the reliable operation of the plant once the new reactors come online.

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