BUDAPEST, July 31 (Reuters) – Hungary’s Paks nuclear plant could remain shut for weeks because water levels on the Danube river, which supplies cooling water to the facility, are expected to stay too low for it to operate safely, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Friday.
The plant’s four Russian-made reactors are operating at less than 50% of their combined 2 gigawatts capacity and are expected to be shut down completely on Monday as Danube water levels are forecast to drop further.
The reactors can be restarted once water levels recover sufficiently for safe operation, “but this is not expected to happen in the next weeks,” Magyar said during a briefing at energy company MOL’s Danube refinery in Szazhalombatta.
The Paks plant generates nearly half of Hungary’s electricity.
Magyar said on Thursday that Hungary could meet its energy needs through imports. However, a heatwave is expected to raise electricity demand by 20% during evening peak hours, potentially creating a critical situation.
MAGYAR ASKS COMPANIES TO CUT ENERGY USE
To ease pressure on the power grid, Magyar reiterated his appeal to major industry companies, including carmakers and battery manufacturers, to reduce electricity and water consumption to help safeguard energy security.
“I turn to the big companies with the message that we are still looking forward to receiving their plans for voluntary shutdowns,” Magyar said.
MOL CEO Zsolt Hernadi said on Friday that the company was shutting down some facilities across the country to help save energy. Magyar said that MOL, one of Hungary’s biggest electricity consumers, was cutting its usage by 40%.
Samsung SDI said in an emailed statement that its battery plant in God, north of Budapest, was cutting water consumption by 50% and reducing electricity use by 10% during critical evening hours.
(Reporting by Anita Komuves. Editing by Mark Potter)
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