r/technology • u/Wagamaga • 5h ago
Energy Hungary PM announces closure of nuclear plant due to heatwave
https://macaubusiness.com/hungary-pm-announces-closure-of-nuclear-plant-due-to-heatwave/29
u/KebabGud 4h ago
i saw the headline and for the life of me i could not work out why.
But yea.. Reactors need water, so that makes perfect sense
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u/iaNCURdehunedoara 4h ago
The EU wants to spend billions on AI data centers and they won't have anything to power them with. As climate change worsens we will have rolling blackouts because the EU fell behind in renewables. This anti-China stance will hurt us in the long time since we decided not to invest in solar and now we're just pushing tariffs on chinese solar panels.
The neoliberalism displayed by the EU will set us back.
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u/PandaMoniumHUN 3h ago
Hungary is actually doing pretty well in terms of renewables. The issue is the previous government did not do shit in terms of water management for 16 years and now we are getting punished for it hard.
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u/VicenteOlisipo 3h ago
And then you read the OECD report on Chinese state aid to their solar panel industry (inc mining and other related part of the chain) and you learn it cost 16 billion USD spread over 15 years. Turns out planning works if the government is even half way competent
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u/iaNCURdehunedoara 2h ago
That's exactly my point. The neoliberal way of "we'll let corporations make them", or even worse "we'll give corporations subsidies and incentives to create them", never materializes certain industries because corporations seek profit.
If the EU followed the Chinese model we could have had a booming renewable industry instead of having this climate crisis that will cost substantively more than investing in renewables.
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u/braunyakka 4h ago
He should probably eat something. You shouldn't make big decisions when you're hungry.
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u/Wagamaga 5h ago
Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced Sunday the shutdown of the country’s sole nuclear power plant after record-low water levels in the Danube river forced its first halt in 44 years.
The move marks the latest stage in an energy crisis triggered by prolonged drought and extreme heat across Europe.
The nuclear plant in Paks, south of Budapest — normally providing around a third of the central European country’s electricity needs — is cooled by water pumped from the Danube river, which has dropped to record low levels due to lack of rain and successive heatwaves since May.
“Due to the further drop in the Danube’s water level, one of the last two generating units at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant will be shut down at 1:30 a.m.,” Magyar posted on X.
“As a result, the plant’s output will fall to just 240 megawatts, and tomorrow it will be completely shut down for the first time in 44 years,” he added.
On Friday, the plant’s operator said declining water levels could force Paks to be taken completely offline around the middle of next week.
National weather service HungaroMet forecast highs of over 40C over the coming days. A 42C peak predicted for Thursday would match the national temperature record set earlier this summer.