“Due to the heat, the water temperature of the Danube, which is the cooling water of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, is also rising, which is why the reactors’ electrical output was reduced by 240 MW on Saturday afternoon. On Sunday, it is expected that production will need to be reduced by another 320 MW,” it reads in a summary shared on the government sidein which information about the heat alarm can be read.
According to the government, based on the predictable load data, the energy supply can still be ensured in this way. According to MAVIR Zrt., the gross peak system load is expected to be 6,400 MW on Sunday and 7,300 MW on Monday, which is around 90 percent of the current summer peak.
Regarding transport, it was written that MÁV and GYSEV constantly check the tracks and the temperature of the rails. Due to the extreme heat, speed restrictions were ordered on some sections of 20 railway lines. Bottled drinking water is distributed at busier stations, MÁV passengers received 8,000 bottles on Saturday. Magyar Közút Zrt. is also on standby.
In the operating area of Nemzeti Vízművek Zrt., there are water supply restrictions in 110 places.
The Water Works and the Hungarian Defense Forces also help the local service provider supply Zalaszentgrót’s water reservoir. The average water level of Lake Balaton is 75 cm, and 51 cm at Velence Lake Agárd, neither of which has changed since Saturday. The water level of Lake Velence is 2 centimeters below the level of the lowest water level ever measured.
Due to the heat, there are also many fires: on Saturday, disaster management units were called 57 times to fires involving forest and vegetation. Reminder: A fire ban is in force throughout Hungary.
The government is trying to cool and hydrate the country with its own means. At the venues of Saturday’s mass events, such as the Orfú festival, voluntary firefighting associations carried out surface and personal cooling tasks in accordance with the preliminary agreements made with the organizers. The Hungarian Armed Forces also brought drinking water bags to Orfú, as well as to the Budapest Pride and the events in Tiszaújváros and Zalacsány. The national defense prepared a total of 25,100 sachets of water.
