Danube Recovers, Hungary Restarts Turbine at Paks Nuclear Power Plant

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On August 10, Hungary began restoring a previously shut-down turbine at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant. At the start of the startup procedure, the Danube's water level at the Paks section had risen 19 centimeters from the previous week's low. The turbine being brought back online was scheduled to resume power generation that evening, with the plant's expected grid output increasing from approximately 240 megawatts to about 500 megawatts.

Prolonged heat and drought had previously driven the Danube's water level to historic lows, prompting the water-cooled Paks plant to gradually reduce output. At one point, only 1 of its 8 turbines remained operational, cutting generating capacity to roughly 10% of installed capacity. The plant operates 4 pressurized water reactors with a total installed capacity of about 2,000 megawatts, typically supplying nearly half of Hungary's electricity.

With the water level recovering, the pumps in the cold-water intake channel can now obtain the water volume and pressure needed to maintain condenser cooling. Restoring grid connection still requires checking secondary circuit water quality, establishing condenser vacuum, and progressively coordinating reactor thermal power, steam flow, and generator load according to procedure.

The recent rise in water level is mainly attributed to rainfall in the Austrian section of the Danube basin, and the Hungarian government believes the recovery may be short-lived. The government is re-reviewing the cooling scheme for the Paks II project and plans to launch a tender for 700 megawatts of wind power capacity by August 31.