RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Record-low water levels on the Danube forced the Paks plant offline, leaving Hungary facing a potential power crunch.
https://p.dw.com/p/5I8rk Advertisement Hungary will shut down the Paks nuclear power plant on Sunday for the first time in its 44-year history, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said.
He made the announcement on social media late Saturday night, saying the decision was taken after a further drop in the Danube's water level .
The plant, located 120 kilometers (74.5 miles) south of the capital, Budapest, uses water from the Danube to cool its reactors. It provides more than 40% of Hungary's electricity generation.
The Danube has fallen to record-low levels in some areas after months of below-average rainfall and successive heat waves since May.
Hungary's water authority projected that the Danube, which flows from Germany to the Black Sea, would fall further in the coming days.
It measured the Danube's water level in Budapest at 23 centimeters (9 inches) on Wednesday morning, well below the previous record low of 33 centimeters (13 inches) set in 2018.
As a result, output at the Paks nuclear power plant had already been cut earlier in the week and some reactors shut down.
"Due to a further decline in the Danube's water level, the second-to-last generating unit at the Paks nuclear power plant will be shut down at 1:30 a.m. (2330 GMT)," the prime minister said.
"As a result, the plant is now producing only 240 megawatts (of electricity), and tomorrow (on Sunday), for the first time in 44 years, it will be completely shut down," Magyar added.
The surge in imported electricity prices could cost Hungary between 120 billion and 240 billion forints ($315 million to $630 million, €273 million to €546 million), Tisza Party Vice Chairman Mark Radnai said on Facebook.
Magyar warned the Paks plant could remain offline for weeks and said his government would seek voluntary power cuts from large users, in addition to the 240 megawatts already pledged, with penalties for noncompliance.
A decree would also allow grid operator MAVIR to mandate consumption cuts and temporarily disconnect large users if necessary.
"Households will be the last to face restrictions," Magyar said.
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