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Paks Nuclear Plant in Hungary Keeps Running as Danube Levels Rise

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Hungary's Paks nuclear power plant will avoid a complete shutdown and should run at full capacity by next week, as water levels on the Danube River rise following engineering work, according to a social media post by Prime Minister Peter Magyar on Thursday.

Authorities sank two barges near Paks to temporarily raise water levels and keep two of the plant's eight turbines running, while a riverbed sill is under construction to raise the water by up to a meter.

"The threshold is already raising the water level by 15 to 20 centimeters. You don't have to turn off the two operating turbines, and from Sunday, the other ones will also be turned back on," Magyar said in a translated Facebook post.

"From next Friday, the Paks Nuclear Power Plant will be able to produce at full capacity!"

Drought has resulted in record-low water levels on the Danube, reducing Paks' operating rate and shutting down Romania's Cernavoda nuclear facility last week.

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