Although the city of Paks was not spared by the flooding of the Danube, the operation of its nuclear power plant was never disrupted or endangered. Euronews went there to see for himself.
“At the nuclear power plant, everything is strictly regulated and we have a controlled system of protective measures in place against high water levels. The dam itself is so high that we are three metres higher than the highest water level ever reached, which is probably visible in this situation, so no special measures were necessary.“, said Antal Kovacscommunications director of the Paks nuclear power plant, to our team.
The recent flooding caused by the Boris depression in the neighbouring countries required special attention: the integrity of the dam was constantly monitored by firefighters and water experts from the power plant. Since the volume of sediment and driftwood carried by the Danube increases in such situations, the grates of the canal leading to the power plant also had to be cleaned more frequently.
Procedures tested throughout Europe
After the nuclear accident in Fukushimathe European Union has conducted a targeted safety review, known as the “stress test”to determine the extent to which European nuclear power plants could withstand extreme and sudden environmental impacts.
“It is obvious that a tsunami cannot happen here in Hungary, but an earthquake, for example, is possible. The study revealed that the Paks nuclear power plant is in a very good position among the EU units,” he explains. Antal Kovacscommunications director of the Paks nuclear power plant.
Apart from safety, the slow receding of extreme flooding did not threaten the plant’s electricity production, which remained uninterrupted.