Budapest limits metro and tram speeds to save electricity
A schedule will be introduced on the metro and tram lines of Budapest, according to which the vehicles will accelerate less intensively, according to Європейська правда.
This was announced by the Mayor of Budapest, Gergely Karácsony, on Saturday, according to European Pravda, citing HVG.
This will increase travel time by a few minutes but will save 15 megawatt-hours of energy per day.
Gergely Karácsony stated that, additionally, modern diesel buses with efficient air conditioning will run on some lines on weekdays instead of electric trolleybuses.
"The Hungarian power supply system has not faced such a challenge for decades, for which we must prepare in the coming days. In such a tense situation, every energy saving, no matter how small, is necessary to avoid more serious supply disruptions," the mayor noted.
In Budapest, due to the current energy situation, the decorative lighting of the Parliament building will be turned off, and by Monday, the decorative lighting of the Buda Castle buildings will also be gradually phased out.
On Saturday, due to the low water level in the Danube, the first power unit of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant had to be shut down again. On Saturday morning, Péter Magyar wrote on Facebook that the current capacity of the Paks NPP is only 480 megawatts, compared to the usual 2,000 megawatts.
The day before, Magyar reported that Hungary's only nuclear power plant, Paks, might completely suspend the operation of all reactors on August 4 or 5 due to the low water level in the Danube.
Prior to this, the Hungarian Prime Minister stated that the country could face an energy crisis. Magyar urged large consumers, including battery and car manufacturers, to voluntarily reduce their electricity consumption from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM during the heatwave.
On July 30, the Hungarian energy company MVM announced that all units of the Paks nuclear power plant — the only one in Hungary — would suspend their operation within 24-72 hours due to the record low water level in the Danube. Such a decision was made for the first time in the history of this NPP.
