Hungary Restarts Paks Reactor as Danube Recovers

Hungary began restarting one of the reactors at its Paks nuclear power plant on Monday after the Danube's water level rose, easing restrictions on the plant's cooling system. Paks generates nearly half of the country's electricity.

In recent weeks, the Danube had fallen to exceptionally low levels because of prolonged heat and drought. As a result, the plant was forced to operate at sharply reduced capacity, with only one unit remaining in service.

Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar said work had begun to restart a second unit after the river rose by 19 cm from last week's low. The unit was expected to resume generating electricity on Monday evening. He cautioned, however, that the improvement could prove temporary.

The government is also reviewing longer-term measures, including plans for the Paks II expansion, which is expected to rely on water from the Danube for cooling under its current design.

In addition, the government plans to diversify the country's energy mix. It intends to launch a tender by the end of August for 700 megawatts of new wind power capacity as part of a broader plan to install four gigawatts by 2030.

(Reuters, bak)