Premier: Slovakia Ready to Help Hungary amid Energy Crisis

Bratislava, August 1 (TASR) - Slovakia is ready to help Hungary manage the energy crisis, Premier Robert Fico (Smer-SD) has posted on social media in connection with the risk of the Hungarian Paks 1 nuclear power plant having to be shut down. At the same time, the premier has declared that the Slovak power plants are operating as planned and are not facing the risk of a crisis situation. "The probability of shutting down the entire Paks 1 nuclear power plant due to a lack of Danube water needed for cooling will expose Hungary to an unprecedented energy crisis situation," stressed the premier. Fico announced that he spoke to Economy Minister Denisa Sakova (Voice-SD), as well as power utility Slovenske elektrarne general director Branislav Strycek on Saturday. "Due to a different technical solution for reactor cooling, the nuclear power plants in Mochovce and Jaslovske Bohunice are not facing any crisis situation and are operating within their planned capacity," the premier said after the talks. The electricity supply situation in Hungary has become complicated after the level of the Danube River, whose water is used for cooling at the Paks nuclear power plant, dropped significantly in recent days and weeks. As a result, the output of the reactors has been reduced, with current production standing at just 480 megawatts compared to the usual 2,000 megawatts. ko