Lack of Cooling Water

Too dry: Hungary’s Paks nuclear power plant must be taken offline!

Due to the extremely low water level of the Danube, the Paks power plant is being shut down completely.(Bild: AP/Daniel Kiss)

Historically low water levels in the Danube are having drastic consequences for Hungary’s energy supply: The Paks nuclear power plant will be completely taken offline in the coming hours. The reason is that the river’s water level has dropped so low that the cooling water pumps are expected to be unable to function.

Due to record-low water levels in the Danube, the Hungarian Paks nuclear power plant will be completely taken offline within the next 24 to 72 hours. Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced this on Thursday. The plant’s operator confirmed the measure on its website. With the shutdown, the plant’s electricity production will be temporarily suspended.

According to the operator, the current water level would, in principle, still be sufficient to cool the reactor units. The problem, however, is that the intake points for the necessary pumps are now higher than the current water level, which is expected to drop further. As a result, the pumps would no longer be able to perform their function.

The shutdown will result in a significant loss of capacity for the Hungarian power grid.(Bild: AP/Daniel Kiss)

2,000 megawatts of capacity lost
According to Magyar, the shutdown will result in a loss of approximately 2,000 megawatts of capacity. The prime minister stated, however, that this shortfall could be offset by electricity imports. The country’s import capacity ranges from 3,600 to 3,800 megawatts.

The nuclear power plant had already responded to the falling water levels. Reactor Unit 3 was completely taken offline, and the output of Unit 2 was reduced by half. According to the operator, MVM Paks Nuclear Power Plant Ltd. (Paksi Atomerőmű Zrt.), the water level of the Danube most recently dropped to minus 112 centimeters.

Operator Assures Safe Operation
The measures were taken to maintain safe plant operations and comply with environmental protection requirements, the operator explained. At the same time, the authorities emphasized that Hungary’s energy supply remains secure.

The Paks nuclear power plant supplies more than half of Hungary’s electricity. The complete shutdown therefore represents a significant setback for the country’s electricity production.

Paks II Controversial Due to Ties to Russia
In parallel with the operation of the existing plant, the construction of two new reactor units—Paks II—is planned. The project is financed by a Russian loan and implemented by the Russian state-owned corporation Rosatom.

The project has faced criticism for years. Environmentalists and neighboring countries point, among other things, to the close cooperation with Russia and the strained cooling water situation on the Danube.

ECJ Criticized Award to Rosatom
The power plant in the southern Hungarian city of Paks, which has been in operation since 1982, was originally supplied by the former Soviet Union. Two of the four existing reactor units are to be replaced in the future by the new Rosatom reactors. Commissioning was not originally expected until the mid-2030s.

As early as 2025, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) had ruled that awarding the multi-billion-euro contract directly to Rosatom without an EU-wide tender process violated EU law. The European Commission had already approved state aid for the project in 2017.

Under the new government led by Prime Minister Péter Magyar, the Paks II project is now under scrutiny. According to the government, the contracts concluded with Russia and Rosatom are to be reevaluated.