Emergency Measures Raise Danube Level to Re‑activate Paks Turbines

In a bid to secure cooling water for the Paks nuclear facility, the Hungarian government implemented a series of emergency actions last week. Engineers built a partially submerged dam – known locally as a "weir" – between the towns of Paks and Dunaújváros, and deliberately sank two 80‑metre barges in a controlled manner.

The combined effect raised the Danube’s water level near the plant by approximately 15 centimetres, enough to keep two turbines operational even as the river remained far below its normal flow.

Prime Minister Magyar emphasized that these steps were critical in preventing a prolonged shutdown of the country's largest power producer. He added that, provided the river stabilises, the plant expects to bring all eight turbines back to service within a month, restoring its full 2,000‑megawatt capacity.

The incident draws attention to the vulnerability of river‑cooled nuclear stations to climate‑induced water scarcity and the need for swift, technical interventions to maintain grid reliability.