Hungary Sinks Barges in the Danube to Support the Paks Nuclear Power Plant

In Hungary, concrete blocks are being dropped into the Danube River as preparations are made to sink two barges to raise the water level near the Paks Nuclear Power Plant. This is necessary to prevent the shutdown of one of the two operational turbines due to critically low water levels caused by a prolonged drought. On August 15, helicopters began lowering concrete blocks that will form part of an underwater threshold to retain water. It is planned to lower 4,500 cubic meters of stones throughout the day. The barges, which arrived from Mohács, will be sunk at a 45-degree angle to the shore. The work has already raised the Danube's level by 2 cm. It is forecasted that the water level could drop to minus 132 cm, which would lead to the shutdown of one of the turbines. Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Márki-Zay stated that the first phase of the work will take about 30 days, after which additional work will be needed to secure the results. A complete shutdown of the nuclear power plant could cost the country at least 50 billion forints per month. The low water level also complicates the operations of grain ports in Romania and poses risks for cooling the local nuclear power plant.