Works for cooling, but kills everything in the water. Besides last time I was there 3 years ago, the temperature was not uniform and there were waves of 34 °C water. Seems like nothing has changed since then:

https://atlatszo.hu/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/kagylokpaks.j...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=932FlhRynTA

I get your point, but it's a bit more nuanced. High water temp doesn't just impact the ecosystem, but also the plant's cooling efficiency. Also, those ecological rules aren't just guidelines, they're legally binding. As for coal, absolutely agree - we don't want to go backwards, but this does show how climate change throws a wrench in the works even for clean energy.

Coal power plants have more or less the same cooling problem.