The country has spent days anxiously awaiting news of whether the entire Paks nuclear power plant will have to be shut down, or whether Unit 2, which produces 240MW, can continue operating at reduced output. While the signs are now encouraging, the Russians nevertheless appear to have decided this was the moment to take a swipe at Péter Magyar, who had previously criticised the Russian-run Paks II development as too expensive.
Russians write about difficulties at Paks and Romania’s Cernavoda
“Mr Magyar, do you still think it is too expensive?” the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reportedly told the prime minister yesterday, according to atv.hu. Operations at the Paks nuclear plant have been hanging by a thread, but it now appears the Danube will not continue to fall, meaning Unit 2 may remain operational at half power for several more days — just when electricity is needed most to keep the country functioning.
In a longer report, the Russian state agency analyses the situation at Hungarian and Romanian nuclear plants, highlighting that both use water from the Danube for cooling. As a result, not only the amount of water available matters, but also the river’s temperature, since discharged water at high temperatures cannot be returned to the river in the interests of protecting wildlife.
Both the Paks and Cernavoda plants are operating at sharply reduced capacity, with a single unit carrying the load at both sites at lower output. The Romanians carried out a major detonation in the Danube the day before yesterday to help supply their plant, as we reported separately with video. In Paks, there is cause for optimism because the drop in the Danube’s water level appears to have stopped. In Budapest, for example, it has risen by 11cm from its low point. At one stage, the shutdown of Paks yesterday morning came down to mere millimetres.
Russian agency takes a swipe at Péter Magyar
Against this backdrop, the Russian state news agency evidently felt it important to take a dig at the Hungarian prime minister, criticising between the lines his sceptical stance on the Paks II development. Péter Magyar had previously indicated that the project’s costs and contractual framework would be subject to a comprehensive review before any final decision is taken.
The Russians now pointed to how important Paks is in Hungary’s energy mix — around 40 per cent — and how significant the new blocks would be in future, though it should be noted that they too would rely on Danube water, and would also have to be shut down in the event of drought. Rosatom had previously said it was ready to take part in an audit of the Paks II project so that the Hungarian side could make an informed decision as soon as possible.
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Shifting Hungarian-Russian ties
Hungarian-Russian relations have become rather chilly since Tisza’s election victory. The Russians signalled that they were ready to continue pragmatic ties, and Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov even singled out Magyar for praise for the fact that Hungary still does not send weapons to Ukraine. The mocking tone of the latest news agency report may therefore come as something of a surprise.
During the campaign, Péter Magyar repeatedly spoke of Russian interference on the side of Fidesz — with evidence, for example, cited by journalist Szabolcs Panyi — as President Putin had previously backed Orbán. Since his election victory, however, Magyar has struck a pragmatically detached tone, emphasising his commitment to Nato and the EU, and has called on Putin to end the killing in Ukraine.
PM Péter Magyar about the “most challenging” next 48 hours, Paks NPP shutdown and extraordinary measures
The Russians are never really your “friends”. You can be their vassals as Orban and Fidesz were and do their dirty work for them disrupting NATO and the EU to undermine Europe and in return they will help the Hungarian elite with corruption schemes. Hungarians better decide once and for all whether they are part of Europe or not. Being part of Europe means you don’t work against it with back stabbing schemes to help Putin and Lavrov. Paks II should be scrapped for national security reasons. That was a scheme to keep Hungary on the Russian hook for decades to come.