The nuclear plant uses the river to cool its reactors, and pumps are struggling to keep up with low water levels
By Justin Spike / AP, BUDAPEST
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Hungary’s only nuclear power plant is to shut down for the first time in its history due to record-low water levels on the Danube River, Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said on Friday, adding that the plant might not come back online for several weeks as the river is expected to continue receding.The Paks nuclear plant, located around 90km south of the capital, Budapest, is operating at less than half its normal capacity, producing 965 megawatts of power rather than the usual 2,000.The plant uses water from the Danube to cool its reactors, but the exceptionally low water level has tested the ability of pumps to bring sufficient quantities into the plant.
Paks nuclear power plant lies behind the partly dried-up Danube River in Dunaszentbenedek, Hungary, on Friday.
