Hungary’s prime minister, Péter Magyar, and Ágnes Forsthoffer, the speaker temporarily exercising the powers of the president, held talks with parliamentary group leaders on how to handle the energy crisis triggered by the extreme heat and the Danube’s record-low water level. In the crisis, the acting president and the prime minister said the country needs national unity, co-operation and decisions based on expertise, rather than party-political squabbling.
Péter Magyar: critical days, another heat record
Péter Magyar said the next five days could be the most critical, with another heat record potentially being broken. At present only one of the eight turbines at the Paks nuclear plant is operating, and even that is expected to last only another day or two. A full shutdown may become necessary because of the low water level of the Danube, though the prime minister stressed that nuclear safety is not in danger, that the required cooling water is available, and that no disruption to public supply is expected.
The government is preparing to bring reserve power stations online as needed, including blocks at the Litér and Mátra plants. It is also counting on voluntary consumption cuts by several hundred companies, which could save as much as 500 megawatts. If that proves insufficient, compulsory reductions in consumption or the shutdown of certain major users could also be considered.
Sharp criticism and blame
The cost of the Paks shutdown is initially estimated at around 50 billion forints, but Péter Magyar said the public should not have to pay for it. In the short term, he said, alternative energy sources are needed; in the longer term, the risk of similar situations must be reduced through energy storage, wind farms and additional power-generation capacity.
The prime minister said the current situation has been caused by a historic lack of rainfall and extreme heat, and that the spread of disinformation is therefore particularly harmful. He asked opposition group leaders to help stop it. He cited the drought of 1983 as an example: some influencers claimed the country had ridden it out easily, but, according to the prime minister, Paks was barely operating at the time and, more importantly, the Danube’s water level was more than a metre higher. The group leaders also agreed on the need for a new water strategy. Péter Magyar said the crisis had also exposed the failure to complete earlier projects, such as the pumping system and Paks II, and criticised previous Orbán governments.
He added that all European rivers are struggling with low water levels, so this is not a uniquely Hungarian problem.
Péter Magyar also reiterated that nuclear safety is in no way at risk, that Paks’s engineers have the situation under control, that water for emergency cooling is available, and that there are multiple layers of redundancy. On the power plant, he said a short-term solution must be found so that if the same situation arises next year, it does not end the same way, but instead there should be B and C plans, MTI reported.
The government is not currently planning restrictions on households. No decision has yet been taken on the weekend working day, and if the weather cools from Friday, electricity demand is expected to ease, meaning intervention may not be needed.
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Opposition voices
After the talks at the Sándor Palace, János Bóka of Fidesz said at a press conference that the prime minister had announced no concrete measures with deadlines, had made no initiative and had proposed no action. “The responsibility for governing lies solely with the Hungarian government,” he said.
Bence Rétvári said after the meeting with parliamentary group leaders, the prime minister and Ágnes Forsthoffer that they had come because the invitation spoke of national unity, which every Hungarian has a right to expect in difficult times, but Péter Magyar spent two hours doing nothing but insulting them in the language used in parliament.
László Toroczkai of Mi Hazánk said the atmosphere of the meeting was “basically peaceful”, apart from a few moments. He stressed that his party is the only political force with no responsibility for the crisis, since it has never been in government. He said Hungary must prepare for both excessively low and excessively high water levels on domestic rivers in the future. Commenting on assistance offered to Hungary by Slovak prime minister Robert Fico, he said there is still a “sea” at the Gabčíkovo waterworks, which he said raises questions.
The full damage is only visible at record-low water levels – why is the Danube still being polluted? – photos
