"We have entered the critical 5pm–10pm period again," Magyar wrote. "Hungary has pulled together once more, and consumption is currently 500MW below the projected level."

Earlier: Historic Full Shutdown Ahead for Hungary's Nuclear Power Plant?

The Paks nuclear power plant may shut down completely for the first time in its 42-year history, likely within 24-72 hours, due to the Danube’s record-low water levels, the prime minister said on Thursday, 30 July.

Peter Magyar said the Danube's water levels were expected to continue dropping in the coming weeks, making a restart of the plant unlikely in the short term.

He sought to reassure everyone that, although such a shutdown had never happened before, it did not pose any danger, and every step was being taken in strict compliance with the most stringent safety regulations.

While the national energy supply is currently secure, the unprecedented situation in the coming days would require unprecedented solutions, he warned.

The government is preparing a multi-layered safety plan for the coming days. First, it will mobilise available domestic power plant reserves and secure the necessary electricity imports, he added.

The prime minister repeated his appeal to the public, urging those who can to postpone energy-intensive activities - especially electric vehicle charging and air conditioning use - outside the peak evening hours of 5pm to 10pm.

"Given the gravity of this unprecedented situation, we ask everyone -- both major consumers and the public -- to act responsibly. It is in all our interests to avoid unplanned outages and an unexpected but previously experienced system collapse in western Europe and the Balkans."

He added that the system operator's task was to maintain the balance between electricity production and consumption at all times, while the government's role - working with the Defence Management Office, Paks Nuclear Power Plant, network manager MAVIR, and energy company MVM -- was to coordinate the activities of state bodies, energy companies, wholesalers, and major consumers, and to keep the Hungarian people informed in a timely manner.

Earlier, Magyar said output of the plant had been gradually reduced since Monday as water levels reached record lows.

Capacity of the plant stands around 2,000 MW and accounts for about half of the electricity generated in Hungary. Magyar noted that Hungary's electricity import capacity is around 3,600-3,800 MW.

He said a malfunction at the gas-fired Dunamenti Power Plant meant a further 400 MW decline in domestic electricity generation. The plant could be restarted on Thursday, if an old part is suitable for repairs. If not, the work could take 1-2 weeks, he added.

Magyar said a "rotational crisis plan" for possible rolling industrial blackouts would be discussed at transmission system operator MAVIR's headquarters later on Thursday.

He added that Hungarian oil and gas company MOL's refinery south of the capital was still operating at capacity of a little more than 50 percent, with full capacity set to be reached some time in September.

Magyar: Paks nuclear plant could be shut down for over a month

Hungary's sole nuclear power plant in Paks could be shut down for more than a month, Prime Minister Peter Magyar told commercial television channel RTL on Sunday.

Magyar said the most challenging five days lay ahead, and the immediate priority was to overcome this crisis. Afterwards, lessons must be drawn, and investment in wind energy development must begin, he added.

Magyar calls for full national unity as Paks NPP faces complete shutdown

Prime Minister Peter Magyar has called for "full national unity" as the country braces for a potential complete shutdown of its sole nuclear power plant in Paks next Tuesday or Wednesday due to the Danube's record low water level.

Addressing a press conference at the Paks plant on Friday, the prime minister listed commitments from major energy consumers to reduce their consumption.

He noted that oil and gas company MOL has pledged to reduce its total consumption by 63 MW, or 40 percent of its usage, while state railway company MAV has committed to "significant savings". Battery factories have also joined this effort, with more expected to follow, he said.

Magyar thanked Hungarians for rescheduling their consumption in response to the government's appeal. "This will likely be necessary in the future, but we primarily expect temporary restraint from major consumers," he said.

He announced additional steps to reduce energy use, including switching off Budapest's decorative lighting, postponing next week's two-day extraordinary parliamentary session, and introducing remote work at several major companies. The government is also considering halting rail freight transport between 5pm and 10pm, he said.

He said the government was preparing multiple scenarios, adding that this was "an equation with far too many variables". The prime minister said that from Monday to Wednesday, Hungary could secure even larger quantities of imported electricity than before.

Magyar said that Anita Orban, the foreign minister, has contacted neighbouring countries, and there was "no indication" that any are withholding Danube water.

Water levels across the Danube in central Europe are so low that every country is struggling to protect its water utilities and power plants, sometimes requiring additional water to prevent damage from the low levels, Magyar explained.

Regarding concerns about the reliability of the Paks plant's mobile pumps developed in 1965 by the now-defunct Diosgyor Machine Factory, Paks NPP operator MVM Paksi Atomeromu deputy CEO Laszlo Nagy said 16 pumps are installed in the cold water channel to ensure cooling water supply.

Twelve are operational, four are on standby, and an additional 13 are stored at the plant's difficult docking area. He noted that these pumps, owned by water management authorities, are used nationwide for flood preparedness and other interventions, with many remaining operational. With proper maintenance, they can function safely for up to a month, he added.

In response to a question, Magyar reiterated that transmission system operator MAVIR must continuously maintain the energy system's balance. If demand rises, import sources must be increased, he said, adding that if MAVIR sees insufficient import capacity at any moment, consumption must be reduced somewhere.

Asked about the savings achieved from yesterday's call to reduce consumption, Magyar said consumption dropped by 151 MW below the projected level on MAVIR's website, exceeding even MOL's consumption.

In response to another question, he said companies are currently committing to voluntary reductions of between 5 percent and 40 percent.

"But there will be more, and we haven't yet received commitments from all companies. We want to see significant consumption restraint from major consumers -- 400 to 600 MW," he added.

Asked whether the current shutdown issues require a redesign of the Paks upgrade project or its cooling technology, the prime minister said the Paks expansion requires extensive redesign and should already be operational. He noted that even for Paks I, it was unclear whether a single pump was the best solution.

In response to another question, he said the Paks expansion's financing, technical content, and scheduling must all be reviewed. "Because if progress continues at this pace, I certainly won't live to see it, and perhaps neither will my children," he said, adding that the project was tying up vast state budget resources.

Magyar dismissed the idea of state liability for potential production losses due to shutdowns.

On the cost of the shutdown, he said it was hurting the budget and Hungarians, "because imported electricity is extremely expensive right now". He called the 50 billion forint (EUR 137.8m) estimate "very conservative", noting it only covers the primary impact.

Magyar also said that the 50 billion forint loss in the state budget due to the crisis was manageable and did not necessarily mean cuts elsewhere. He emphasised that the government was not planning any austerity measures as a result.

As regards the necessary electricity imports, Magyar said that MAVIR currently appears capable of importing 4,000 MW or more. He noted that in the past, the system has imported over 5,000 MW without issues.

Magyar added that the defence working group will meet to decide on necessary legislative measures and what can be done under the existing laws. "If needed, government decrees will follow shortly," he said.

Answering another question, the prime minister said a country's sovereignty could also be threatened by energy supply dependencies, particularly Hungary's "massive dependence on Russia" for fossil fuels and Paks I.

"It certainly doesn't help our energy sovereignty if developments are realised with Russian 'help'," he said. Magyar promised that, "unlike the previous government", his cabinet would work to achieve energy sovereignty. He assured the public that the additional costs of energy imports would not appear in household electricity prices.

"We are striving to maintain these electricity imports at the lowest possible cost and for the shortest possible time," Magyar said.

Asked about the savings achieved from yesterday's call to reduce consumption, Magyar said consumption dropped by 151 MW below the projected level on MAVIR's website, exceeding even MOL's consumption.

In response to another question, he said companies are currently committing to voluntary reductions of between 5 percent and 40 percent.

"But there will be more, and we haven't yet received commitments from all companies. We want to see significant consumption restraint from major consumers -- 400 to 600 MW," he added.

Asked whether the current shutdown issues require a redesign of the Paks upgrade project or its cooling technology, the prime minister said the Paks expansion requires extensive redesign and should already be operational. He noted that even for Paks I, it was unclear whether a single pump was the best solution.

In response to another question, he said the Paks expansion's financing, technical content, and scheduling must all be reviewed.

"Because if progress continues at this pace, I certainly won't live to see it, and perhaps neither will my children," he said, adding that the project was tying up vast state budget resources.

Magyar dismissed the idea of state liability for potential production losses due to shutdowns. On the cost of the shutdown, he said it was hurting the budget and Hungarians, "because imported electricity is extremely expensive right now".

He called the 50 billion forint (EUR 137.8m) estimate "very conservative", noting it only covers the primary impact.

Magyar also said that the 50 billion forint loss in the state budget due to the crisis was manageable and did not necessarily mean cuts elsewhere. He emphasised that the government was not planning any austerity measures as a result.

As regards the necessary electricity imports, Magyar said that MAVIR currently appears capable of importing 4,000 MW or more. He noted that in the past, the system has imported over 5,000 MW without issues.

Magyar added that the defence working group will meet to decide on necessary legislative measures and what can be done under the existing laws. "If needed, government decrees will follow shortly," he said.

Answering another question, the prime minister said a country's sovereignty could also be threatened by energy supply dependencies, particularly Hungary's "massive dependence on Russia" for fossil fuels and Paks I.

"It certainly doesn't help our energy sovereignty if developments are realised with Russian 'help'," he said. Magyar promised that, "unlike the previous government", his cabinet would work to achieve energy sovereignty.

He assured the public that the additional costs of energy imports would not appear in household electricity prices.

"We are striving to maintain these electricity imports at the lowest possible cost and for the shortest possible time," Magyar said.

Restart of Paks NPP could take up to a week

The process of restarting the Paks nuclear power plant could take up to a week after all reactors at the facility are shut down for several weeks, the deputy chief technical officer of the plant told MTI in response to an inquiry on Friday.

Laszlo Nagy said that shutting down a single reactor unit can be done relatively quickly, but restarting the facility will be complicated and time-consuming.

He said that shutting down and restarting the units is relatively common, as each of the four units operating at the nuclear power plant is shut down roughly once a year. However, there has never been a precedent for shutting them down simultaneously, he added.

The units are normally shut down for routine maintenance and to replenish fuel, but in such cases, the restart is carried out using the remaining, operational units, he said.

"Typically, it takes one or two days for the physical startup of the reactor to begin, and then, after another one or two days, a unit restarted in this way can already generate power at full capacity," he said.

However, if all of the power plant’s units are shut down and there is no auxiliary steam available from neighboring units, then starting up the first unit is a much more difficult, longer, and slower process, he said.

The restart procedure cannot begin immediately even if significant rainfall occurs in the Danube basin, leading to a significant rise in water levels, because the unit can only be started from an energy standpoint if the water level next to the power plant is adequate, and cooling water is already available. Without this, the equipment cannot even be brought up to temperature, he added.

Nagy said that, according to current water level forecasts, the complete shutdown of one of the two units currently in operation must begin as early as on Sunday evening.

Starting on Monday, the sole remaining unit is also expected to operate only at its nominal capacity, as only one of the eight pumps supplying cooling water from the Danube to the nuclear power plant will be in operation.

Subsequently, the output of the last unit will be reduced, and according to the latest forecasts, its production is expected to be shut down by the middle of the week, he said.



Heatwave - Kapitany: Paks nuclear plant shutdown 'not an emergency'

The shutdown of the Paks nuclear power plant is "not an emergency", Istvan Kapitany, the economy and energy affairs minister, said after visiting the plant with Prime Minister Peter Magyar on Thursday, adding that every step taken by the government was being carried out in accordance with the strictest safety regulations and pre-established protocols.

Kapitany said that in addition to the steps taken by the government, the situation required unity from the public.

Those who can should postpone energy-intensive activities -- especially electric vehicle charging and air conditioning use -- outside the peak evening hours of 5pm to 10pm, he added.

"We must also speak honestly about how we got here, because from a professional standpoint, this is the most outrageous part," the minister said, referring to the fact that the Danube's declining water levels have been a known issue for years.

Kapitany said a 10 billion forint (EUR 27.6m) investment in a new pumping station at the power plant could have prevented a shutdown and the additional 10 billion forint cost of electricity imports.

 "The previous government failed to build it, while [state-owned energy company] MVM spent tens of billions on advertising, sponsorships and sports clubs under political directives," he said, adding that this would also be investigated.

"What lies ahead requires discipline, precise planning and cooperation from all of us," the minister 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."

MTI Stock Photo

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881.

*********************************************************************************************

You're very welcome to comment, discuss and enjoy more stories via our Facebook page: 

Facebook.com/XpatLoopNews + via XpatLoop’s groups: Budapest Expats / Expats Hungary

You can subscribe to our newsletter here: XpatLoop.com/Newsletters