For the first time in the Paks nuclear power station’s 42-year history, production is expected to shut down completely within 24 to 72 hours because of the Danube’s record-low water level, Péter Magyar, the prime minister, said on his Facebook page on Thursday afternoon.
Paks NPP shutdown date revealed
That means 2,000 megawatts will be knocked out of Hungary’s power generation by Monday at the latest, even as soaring heat drives up demand for electricity among households and public institutions, he added. According to water management forecasts, the Danube is set to fall further in the coming weeks, meaning a restart of the plant is certainly not expected in the short term, the Hungarian news agency wrote.
He said that water-management forecasts indicate the Danube’s level will continue to fall over the coming weeks, so a restart of the nuclear power plant is definitely not expected in the short term.
The prime minister said he wanted to reassure everyone that, although such a shutdown has never happened before, it poses no danger and that every step is being taken in full compliance with the strictest safety regulations.
Péter Magyar talks about critical energy-supply situation
He said that the full shutdown of the Paks plant, the failure and shutdown of the Danube Power Station on Wednesday, and consumption rising close to record levels could, by Monday at the latest, produce a critical energy-supply situation unlike anything Hungary has ever faced in its history.
Against an average summer evening demand of 6,000 megawatts, Mavir, the Hungarian transmission system operator, expects consumption to rise by 20 per cent in the peak period between 5pm and 10pm over the coming days because of the extreme heat.
He stressed that the national energy supply is currently secure, but that in the coming days “this unprecedented situation will require solutions we have not had to use before”. He added that the extraordinary circumstances would require coordinated work and exceptional unity.
The government is preparing a series of layered security measures for the coming days. First, it will mobilise available domestic power-generation reserves and secure the necessary electricity imports. At the same time, large industrial consumers will be asked to reschedule production and voluntarily reduce consumption: on the government’s instruction, Mavir will from Thursday call on several dozen major users of the high-voltage grid — including battery factories, cement plants, chemical works, car plants and other facilities — to curb their electricity use during the critical time window. Unnecessary energy consumption in government buildings will also be reduced, he said.
Request to the public repeated due to unprecedented situation
The prime minister repeated his request to the public that, where possible, people should move any electricity-intensive activities outside the evening peak period, between 5pm and 10pm, particularly the charging of electric vehicles and the use of air-conditioning units.
“Because of the severity of this unprecedented situation, we are asking everyone — including large consumers and the public — to act responsibly. It is in all our interests to avoid unplanned shutdowns and a system collapse, unexpected but already experienced in Western Europe and the Balkans,” he said.
He also said that a pre-prepared security system was available in the form of a rotating power-cut regime. This would be decided on by Mavir on professional grounds and would only be used if power-generation reserves, imports, voluntary reductions by large consumers and additional technical measures together were still insufficient to maintain balance on the national grid.
Péter Magyar also said that hospitals, social institutions and services essential to the functioning of the country would receive priority protection and attention.
Necessary legislation prepared
At the same time, the government has begun preparing the necessary legislation to handle the expected emergency energy crisis, so that it can intervene — if necessary on a compulsory basis — by ordering the scheduled, temporary disconnection of certain large consumers in order to safeguard Hungary’s energy security.
He added that it is the system operator’s job to maintain the balance between electricity generation and consumption at every moment, while the government’s task, in cooperation with the Defence Administration Office, Paks Nuclear Power Plant Ltd, Mavir and MVM, is to coordinate the activities of state bodies, energy companies and wholesalers, as well as large consumers, and to keep the Hungarian public informed in good time.
Record-low water levels
Due to the low water level of the Danube, a full shutdown of the Paks NPP, and with it the cessation of electricity generation, will become unavoidable within the next 24 to 72 hours, MVM Paks Nuclear Power Plant Plc. said on its website on Thursday afternoon.
In its statement, the company recalled that the Paks plant, which provides close to half of Hungary’s electricity generation and has a capacity of around 2,000 megawatts, is cooled by the Danube. Water is needed to cool the condensers, or units.
The Danube’s water level is currently 28 centimetres below the previous record low set in 2018, which was itself more than one metre lower than the 100-year minimum water level taken into account when the plant was designed more than 40 years ago, the company said.
There is sufficient water to cool the units, but the intake pipes of the pumps needed for this are positioned higher than the present, and still falling, water level, meaning they can no longer perform their task.
Technical work to lower the intake pipes has already begun, and within a few years the plant is expected to be able to continue producing power even at lower water levels than at present, it said.
The plant stressed that it is prepared to manage the emergency situation arising from a full shutdown.
Procedures have been drawn up to deal with low-water conditions on the Danube, which are divided into four stages; the plant is currently at stage three. On the basis of forecasts, there is a realistic chance of stage four being reached, the statement said.
Less water required for cooling
Once all the plant’s units have been shut down, the cooling of the idle reactors must still be ensured. That requires five cubic metres of water per minute, compared with 100 cubic metres per second needed by units in operation.
Because water forecasts have changed several times within the same day, the plant can currently give only an estimate for the timing of a full shutdown. According to its calculations, the shutdown would have to be carried out within 24 to 72 hours.
The company also said it was prepared for the possibility of further extreme drops in the Danube’s level. In that case, Pajtás pumps installed in cooperation with the National Water Directorate would ensure that sufficient water remains available to keep the idle units cooled.
If required, 12 of the Pajtás pumps can operate continuously, with four more held in reserve and a further 13 on standby. The necessary operators and maintenance staff, spare parts and fuel are also available, it said.
Historic heat, drought: Paks NPP may be switched off, Hungary’s power supply could be pushed into crisis, industry may grind to a halt
Safety ensured
Even in the event of extreme low water lasting for weeks, the units would be kept in a safe condition, and once the appropriate water level is reached, generation would be restarted immediately and in stages. Depending on the water level, the units could be brought back online within a few days, the company said.
Continuous upgrades at the Paks plant have made it possible for the facility to generate electricity even when the water level is 120 centimetres below the design level.
But persistent, extreme drops in water levels will require further improvements in future. Those developments have already begun, and according to the plans, electricity generation will continue without disruption within a few years even at significantly lower water levels, the company said.
Information affecting the plant’s operations will be published on its official website and official Facebook page, where the announcement of a full shutdown will also be made.
The plant has asked the public to help maintain Hungary’s electricity supply security through responsible and economical use of power.
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