Listen to the audio version of this article (generated by AI).
Listen to the audio version of this article (generated by AI).
Prime Minister Péter Magyar said Thursday that the shutdown of Hungary’s only nuclear power plant was likely within 24-72 hours. With Danube water levels expected to continue falling in the coming weeks, restarting the facility may not be possible in the short term, he added.
Output at Paks has been reduced gradually since Monday because the plant relies on water from the Danube for cooling. The facility’s four blocks have a combined capacity of around 2,000 MW and normally account for about half of the electricity generated in Hungary.
Magyar stressed that a complete shutdown would not present a safety threat, despite being unprecedented in the plant’s operating history. All steps were being taken under the strictest safety regulations and established protocols, he said.
Hungary’s electricity supply remained secure, but the situation would require measures never previously used on this scale, the prime minister warned. The government is preparing a multilayered contingency plan combining domestic generation reserves, additional electricity imports and coordinated reductions in consumption during peak periods.
The immediate challenge has been compounded by a malfunction at the gas-fired Dunamenti Power Plant south of Budapest. The outage removed a further 380-400 MW of generating capacity just as demand rose sharply amid the heat wave.
The problems at Paks developed over several days as the Danube continued to fall.
Output from the No. 1 block was reduced by 254 MW Monday evening after the river level reached minus 106 centimeters. The plant cut output from the No. 3 block by 237 MW Tuesday, when the level fell to minus 112 centimeters, before shutting the block down Wednesday as the Danube reached minus 118 centimeters.
Output from the No. 2 block was halved early Thursday after the water level dropped further to minus 121 centimeters.
Magyar said the complete closure of the plant was now expected within one to three days. He added that the exceptionally low water levels could continue throughout August, making the duration of the shutdown difficult to predict.
Economy and Energy Affairs Minister István Kapitány, who visited Paks with the prime minister, said the shutdown was “not an emergency” and emphasized that the government and plant operator were following pre-established procedures.
“What lies ahead requires discipline, precise planning and cooperation from all of us,” Kapitány said. “Over the past decades, I have learned that calm, methodical work helps us overcome even the greatest challenges. And Hungarians always come together in difficult times. It will be no different this time.”
He nevertheless sharply criticized the failure to complete an investment that he said could have protected the plant from the current situation.
Kapitány said a new pumping station costing around HUF 10 billion could have prevented both the shutdown and an estimated additional HUF 10 bln in electricity import costs. The previous government failed to build the facility even as state-owned energy company MVM spent tens of billions of forints on advertising, sponsorships and sports clubs, he said, adding that the spending would be investigated.
Magyar later put the potential overall cost to the state budget of a Paks shutdown at HUF 50 bln.
The loss of capacity at Paks coincided with a technical problem at the Dunamenti Power Plant, Hungary’s second-largest gas-fired electricity facility.
A special sealing component showed an anomaly during the planned startup of the plant’s G3 block Wednesday, forcing the unit to halt electricity production. Repairs are underway, with a replacement component ordered from Switzerland and France, Magyar said.
Installation could begin Friday once the affected area has cooled sufficiently. The block may be restarted during the day and could return to full capacity as early as Sunday, sooner than initially expected.
The additional output would provide important support to the electricity system while production at Paks remains constrained. Magyar noted that pump upgrades had been completed at Dunamenti, contrasting the investment with the work he said had been neglected at the nuclear plant.
Hungarian oil and gas company MOL’s refinery south of Budapest is also operating at only a little more than half of its capacity while undergoing repairs. Full capacity is currently expected to be restored sometime in September.
Magyar and Kapitány were scheduled to visit the refinery Friday before returning to Paks to assess conditions.
Hungary is using electricity imports to offset the simultaneous loss of domestic generation and the rise in consumption caused by the heat wave.
Magyar said Hungary’s electricity import capacity stood at around 3,600-3,800 MW. The country is currently importing power from all neighboring states, including Ukraine, to compensate for reduced output at Paks and Dunamenti and significantly higher demand.
The transmission system operator, MAVIR, must maintain the balance between electricity production and consumption at all times. The government, working with the Defense Management Office, Paks, MAVIR and MVM, is coordinating state bodies, generators, wholesalers and major industrial consumers.
Magyar said a rotational crisis plan covering possible rolling industrial outages was being discussed at MAVIR’s headquarters.
The operator has contacted Hungary’s largest industrial electricity users to coordinate voluntary reductions during the critical evening period between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. Potential participants include battery plants, cement factories, fertilizer and chemical producers, car manufacturers and the Lego factory in Nyíregyháza.
The prime minister urged major consumers to meet the requested reduction targets. The government is also preparing a legal framework that would allow temporary compulsory restrictions during the most critical periods should voluntary measures prove insufficient.
Households have also been asked to reduce pressure on the grid during peak evening hours.
Magyar repeated his appeal for consumers to postpone energy-intensive activities, particularly electric vehicle charging and heavy air-conditioning use, until outside the 5-10 p.m. window.
“Given the gravity of this unprecedented situation, we ask everyone, both major consumers and the public, to act responsibly,” he said. “It is in all our interests to avoid unplanned outages and an unexpected but previously experienced system collapse in Western Europe and the Balkans.”
Kapitány said the situation required public cooperation alongside the government’s technical and supply-side measures.
The request does not amount to a general restriction on electricity use, but officials are seeking to flatten the evening demand peak at a time when air conditioners, household appliances and electric vehicles can place simultaneous pressure on the system.
The energy challenge is closely tied to the prolonged lack of rainfall and extreme temperatures affecting Hungary and much of the Danube basin.
According to the latest HungaroMet forecast, there is no clear end in sight to either the heat wave or the severe drought. The most likely scenario points to continued sunshine, no significant precipitation and daily maximum temperatures of 39-41 degrees Celsius.
The absence of meaningful rainfall means Danube levels are expected to remain stagnant or fall further. This limits the water available for cooling at Paks just as the heat drives electricity demand higher.
The combination creates pressure on both sides of the energy system: reduced domestic generation capacity and increased consumption. It also leaves limited certainty over when the nuclear plant could return to normal operation, even after temperatures eventually begin to moderate.
Magyar said the government would continue providing public updates on extraordinary developments and the water situation.
For now, Hungary’s electricity supply remains stable. However, the simultaneous constraints at Paks, Dunamenti and the MOL refinery, combined with record-low river levels and exceptionally high demand, have created what the prime minister described as the country’s most critical energy situation to date.
Producing journalism that is worthy of the name is a costly business. For over 30 years, the publishers, editors and reporters of the Budapest Business Journal have striven to bring you business news that works, information that you can trust, that is factual, accurate and presented without fear or favor.Newspaper organizations across the globe have struggled to find a business model that allows them to continue to excel, without compromising their ability to perform. Most recently, some have experimented with the idea of involving their most important stakeholders, their readers.
We would like to offer that same opportunity to our readers. We would like to invite you to help us deliver the quality business journalism you require. Hit our Support the BBJ button and you can choose the how much and how often you send us your contributions.
