Hungary to sink two barges near nuclear plant as river runs dry

Paks nuclear plant ⁠i currently operates at around 25% of its capacity

BUDAPEST, Aug 14 - Hungarian authorities are expected to start sinking two barges later in the day to raise the water level at the Paks nuclear plant in the Danube, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Friday.

Romania has shut down its only nuclear plant in a rare move prompted by the lack of cooling water from the Danube River. Hungary, meanwhile, is racing to dam the Danube, trying to keep its Paks plant online.

Viktor Orbán once hailed the project as the “deal of the century.”

The Cernavodă plant, which produces 20% of Romania's electricity, is not expected to be restarted within the next 10 days.

Scorching heat and low rainfall in recent weeks have left the Danube River at record lows and forced the state-owned Cernavoda plant to shut down its first reactor in late July.

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar cast doubt on the Russian-led expansion of the country’s sole nuclear power plant after the record-low level of the Danube river almost led to a full shutdown of the existing reactors.

Scorching heat and low rainfall in recent weeks have left the Danube River at record lows and forced the state-owned Cernavoda plant to shut down its first reactor in late July.

Romania begins shutdown of nuclear plant's 2nd reactor amid low water levels on Danube River  Toronto Star

Romania has begun a controlled shutdown of the second reactor at the Cernavoda nuclear power plant

Hungary’s government plans interventions on Danube River to keep nuclear plant running  AP News