The Hungarian authorities plan to begin sinking two barges today in the afternoon to temporarily raise the water level in the Danube near the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, Prime Minister Péter Magyar reported on Friday.
Currently, the station is operating at only about 25% of its capacity due to historic drought and record low water levels in the Danube, from which the nuclear power plant gets water for cooling.
The Hungarian government stated that two 80-meter (260-foot) barges will be submerged near the nuclear power plant to raise the water level in the short term. This is expected to allow two of the plant’s turbines to continue operating while the construction of a river ‘sill’ is underway.
“The controlled sinking of the barges is expected to begin late this afternoon to raise the water level in the Danube,” said Péter Magyar in a video address from Paks, published on Facebook on Friday. Sinking the barges may temporarily raise the water level by approximately 20 centimeters (8 inches).
Long-term plans and regional impact
The Hungarian government announced on Wednesday that it will build a river ‘sill’ — a submerged structure similar to a dam, which will be installed across the riverbed to regulate water flow. The construction of this structure will take several weeks, and the sill itself is expected to raise the water level by up to 1 meter.
Neighboring Romania shut down its last operating reactor on Thursday as this year’s drought has significantly impacted European electricity production, shipping, and healthcare systems. The drought has also raised questions in Hungary and Romania about adapting nuclear energy to increasingly extreme climate conditions.
Source: The Straits Times
