The penultimate generating unit at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant was taken offline at 1.30 AM on Sunday due to the continued fall in the Danube’s water level, Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced on his Facebook page late on Saturday night.
The power plant is generating a fraction of its capacity
Prime Minister Péter Magyar highlighted that the plant is now generating only 240 megawatts and that “tomorrow, for the first time in 44 years, it will be shut down completely.” Under normal operating conditions, the Paks Nuclear Power Plant has a generating capacity of 2,000 megawatts.
Earlier on Saturday, Péter Magyar said that, due to the significant reduction in Hungary’s power generation capacity, the Hungarian Independent Transmission Operator (MAVIR) had activated its emergency protocol for major disruptions to the electricity system.
He stated that all available reserve power plants across Hungary were in operation or on standby, including facilities that had long been out of service and were in extremely poor condition. All power plants capable of being brought online have been supplied with the necessary fuel.
Péter Magyar: Large consumers that fail to meet their commitments may face sanctions
Under a government decree that entered into force on Saturday evening, major industrial electricity consumers may be disconnected from the power grid if they fail to implement the required reductions in electricity consumption. Prime Minister Péter Magyar said:
“Households are at the very end of the restriction chain. The burden will first be borne by the state, large corporations, industrial facilities and institutions with deferrable energy consumption. The system operator may only interfere with the electricity supply of Hungarian households once every other option has been exhausted. This is what systemic change looks like in practice.”
As part of the government’s energy-saving measures, rail freight services will be suspended during the most critical period between 5 PM and 10 PM from Monday onwards. In addition, remote working will be introduced for the first three days of next week across all public administration roles where the continuous delivery of services allows.
Those able to work remotely are asked to do so
The government has also called on private-sector companies and employers to allow employees whose work can be carried out remotely to work from home over the coming days, while reducing energy consumption in office buildings to the lowest practicable level.
Péter Magyar also announced that decorative and non-essential lighting at all state institutions will be switched off, and that all local authorities across Hungary are expected to implement the highest possible level of energy-saving measures.
Stay up-to-date: Slovakian PM Fico offers to help Hungary with electricity as Paks shutdown threatens energy supply
Dunamenti Power Plant back in operation
Thanks to rapid repair work, the Dunamenti Power Plant in Százhalombatta resumed operations after three days, the Prime Minister announced on his Facebook page on Saturday afternoon. Péter Magyar noted that this adds a further 360 megawatts of generating capacity to the system and thanked everyone involved in the repair work.
In a statement posted on social media on Saturday, the Dunamenti Power Plant said that, following the successful completion of technical inspections and trial operation, the plant’s G3 generating unit resumed full-capacity operation at 4.45 PM on 1 August. As a result, nearly 400 megawatts of generating capacity has once again become available to Hungary’s electricity system.
The statement recalled that the planned restart of the G3 unit on 29 July had to be suspended after a technical fault was detected in a specialised seal on one of the steam turbine’s safety valves. The power plant emphasised that, thanks to the swift and well-coordinated efforts of its employees and technical partners, the unit was able to return to service safely in the shortest possible time.
Read also: Hungary to suspend freight trains during evening peak to save electricity amid energy crisis
