Emergency dredging completed at Kelenfoldi
Hungary’s record-low Danube levels prompted emergency dredging at the Kelenfoldi power plant in Budapest to preserve access to cooling and raw water. The intervention was completed in early August at a cost of around €55,000. Around 300-400 cubic metres of sediment were removed from a 50-metre section of the plant’s bay. The riverbed was lowered by approximately 50-100 centimetres.
The dredging operation was the first of its kind during the plant’s more than 110-year history. Kelenfoldi uses the bay for cooling and raw water and also provides district energy services. During summer, it supplies hot water to almost 41,000 households and around 1,800 public institutions. Winter operations include district heating.
Budapest gauge hits lowest recorded level in September
Conditions deteriorated further in September as the Budapest Danube gauge fell to just 1 centimetre above its reference zero on Sept. 8. That level marked the lowest recorded gauge reading. Actual river depth through the city remained around 3-3.5 metres on average. The previous record of 28 centimetres had been set only at the end of July.
Rainfall in the upper Danube catchment could provide some relief, but the episode indicates how prolonged drought is increasingly affecting hydropower output and river transport as well as cooling-water security for thermal plants.
