Hungary began controlled barge sinking near the Paks nuclear plant, raising pump-station water by one centimeter to prevent turbine shutdowns.

Hungarian Prime Minister Márton Nagy said controlled sinking of barges had begun near the Paks nuclear power plant as the Danube’s main-channel water level continued to fall. The intervention increased the water level at the plant’s pumping station by one centimeter.

Nagy said that without intervention, the Danube was expected to reach an extremely low level on the evening of August 16. That condition would have forced one of the plant’s two operating turbines to shut down and could have led to a subsequent complete shutdown.

The response included sinking barges and constructing a submerged weir to maintain the required water level. The report did not state that a turbine had already shut down or give the megawatt capacity affected.