Hungary Sinks 2 Danube Barges to Protect Plant Supplying Half Its Power
Updated
Updated · UPI News · Aug 15
Hungary Sinks 2 Danube Barges to Protect Plant Supplying Half Its Power
3 articles · Updated · UPI News · Aug 15
Summary
Two 260-foot barges are being sunk into the Danube as Hungary tries to lift river levels enough to keep the Paks nuclear plant cooling its reactors.
Danube levels were 48 inches below normal on Saturday after months of drought across Europe and could drop another 4 inches by Monday, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said.
At that point, Paks would have to shut one of its last two functioning turbines, raising the risk of an energy crunch.
Paks generates about half the electricity used by Hungary's 10 million people, and water experts are continuously monitoring river levels, flow and the riverbed.