Peter Mađar: Paks Nuclear Power Plant Could Be Operating at Full Capacity Again by Wednesday

The Paks Nuclear Power Plant in Hungary has restarted its third reactor, and the facility could be operating at full capacity as early as Wednesday, a day or two earlier than expected, Prime Minister Peter Mađar said today.

At the plant, which produces nearly half of Hungary’s electricity, output was reduced earlier this month to just over 10 percent of capacity, narrowly avoiding a complete shutdown.

The issue arose due to severe drought and record low water levels on the Danube.

According to the operator, the nuclear power plant is currently generating about 800 megawatts of electricity.

“Four out of eight turbines are already generating electricity at Paks. The full restart is underway and the nuclear power plant could be producing 2,000 megawatts again by Wednesday,” Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Mađar stated today on Facebook.

The rise in the Danube’s water level, which is the main source of cooling water for the plant, as well as construction work carried out in the river near the facility, helped avoid a complete shutdown of the power plant.

Last week, Hungary began construction of a sill in the riverbed, that is, a transverse dam at the bottom of the river intended to regulate water flow.

As a short-term solution, the government sank two barges near Paks to raise the water level enough for two turbines to continue operating while construction of the sill in the Danube riverbed is underway, Reuters reports.