Prime Minister Péter Magyar has called the next 48 hours “the most challenging period” and announced several measures in response to the extraordinary energy situation. He cited weather forecasts indicating that a cold front on Friday could bring relief.
Cold front and rain will come, Paks NPP expected to remain operable
In a Facebook video on Tuesday evening, Magyar noted that the national chief medical officer had extended the third-degree heat alert until midnight on Friday. Experts expect temperatures to exceed 40 C on Wednesday and Thursday, with absolute heat records of over 42 C possibly being broken in central Hungary.
The cold front on Friday is expected to bring 5-6mm of rainfall, he said. While this will not alleviate Hungary’s severe drought, more significant rain may fall in the Danube’s Austrian catchment area, which “would be extremely important for raising the Danube’s water levels”. Péter Magyar recalled his visit to the Paks nuclear plant on Tuesday, where he personally assessed the situation.
He said multiple factors would determine whether the last turbine at Paks must also be shut down in the coming hours. “A decision to restart the already shut-down turbines can only be made if the necessary water levels are sustainably available and further declines can be ruled out for several days,” he said. He underlined that nuclear safety takes precedence over all other considerations.
Péter Magyar talks about extraordinary measures
The prime minister noted that, at its meeting on Tuesday afternoon, the Defence Council reviewed the tasks for the coming days. He announced that remote work in public administration and state-owned companies will remain in effect until Friday, wherever the nature of the tasks allows. Private-sector employers are also urged to follow this example where possible.
A decision was also made to maintain the suspension of rail freight transport on Wednesday and Thursday between 5pm and 10pm, which, according to calculations, will reduce the load on the energy grid by 60-90MW during the evening peak period, a significant saving. In recent days, 837 medium and large consumers have made voluntary commitments, reducing or rescheduling a total of more than 600MW of consumption, PM Péter Magyar said. “It is still possible to join, and not everyone has done so yet,” he added.
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If the security of Hungary’s energy supply requires it, mandatory restrictions or even disconnections may be ordered, he said. “In the next critical 48 hours, heat will increase consumption,” he said. “The Hungarian government, the affected companies, experts, and staff are all working to ensure that the country successfully navigates the next two to three days.” He urged the public to look out for one another and to reschedule all deferrable electricity consumption between 5pm and 10pm.
Good news: Danube water levels rise, last Paks turbine operating stably
The Danube’s water level has risen by 5cm, and the last turbine at Paks is operating stably, the prime minister said in a Facebook post on Tuesday, referring to the Paks nuclear plant’s operations. “We have entered the critical 5pm–10pm period again,” PM Péter Magyar wrote. “Hungary has pulled together once more, and consumption is currently 500MW below the projected level.”
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