Hungary's operator says Unit 1 and Unit 3 now fully operational
Hungary’s Paks nuclear power station has begun restarting reactor units that were shut down during recent low water levels on the Danube River, with two units returning to nominal power, plant operator MVM Paks said.
Statements said the restarts followed a rise in Danube water levels in recent days and the construction of a submerged sill in the Danube riverbed, which allowed technical conditions for safe and sustainable operation to be restored.
Unit 3 was the first of the previously shut down units to begin restart, with one of its turbine generators connected to the grid on 22 August.
The unit returned to nominal power at 07:01 local time on 24 August, the operator said.
Unit 1 returned to nominal power at 19:39 local time on 23 August.
Paks had reduced generation earlier in late July and early August because of low Danube water levels, which affected cooling water availability at the plant.
The four-unit station had maintained operation only at Unit 2 at very reduced power levels during the peak of the water supply shortage. Unit 2 was returned to nominal operation on 10 August.
Paks is Hungary’s only commercial nuclear power station with four 479-MW VVER-440/V-213 pressurised water reactor units. The station supplies about a half of Hungary’s electricity production, according to data by the International Atomic Energy Agency.
Reuters quoted Hungary’s prime minister Peter Magyar as saying that the Paks stations is expected to return to full capacity by Wednesday (26 August) this week.
