Hungary and Romania have drastically reduced output at their nuclear power plants due to insufficient water flow from the Danube river, which has sunk to historically low levels.
Prime Minister Peter Magyar issued a statement saying that "for the first time in 44 years," the power plant (Hungary's Paks nuclear plant) would be shut down altogether, urging members of the public to rein in their own power usage accordingly.
Down river in Romania, one of two reactors at the Cernavoda nuclear plant, 160 kilometers east of Bucharest, was shut down earlier this week due to lower water levels.
The Romanian Energy Ministry was set to shut down the plant's second reactor on Thursday due to "unfavorable developments in hydraulic conditions" – but ultimately managed to keep it operating overnight.
In Budapest, Hungary's national water authority measured the Danube's gauge level at 23 centimeters (9 inches) on Wednesday morning, well below the previous record low of 33 centimeters (13 inches) set in 2018.
And it's not just nuclear power plants which are affected; river traffic from cargo ships to tourist cruises has also been put on hold.
In Hungary, the low water level has forced popular cruise ships, where passengers usually disembark for sightseeing in Budapest, to dock further upriver, while cargo ships have stopped operating nearly entirely, according to the country's Ministry of Transport and Investment.
In neighboring Romania, the water level along parts of the Danube is already one meter (three feet) below the navigable minimum.
Posted by -Maestral-
1 Comment
Climate and energy policy are fundamental part of any policimaking. The article delvs into problems faced by nulear power plants during increasingly hot and dry summers in Europe.
A solid share of population in public discourse finds that renewable + baseline of nuclear and batteries is a go to solution for achiving completely clean energy generation. It seems that in changning climate conditions, nuclear is not as dependable for baseline production when needed the most as often assumed.