Budapest announced on Monday that it will spend 6 billion forints (approximately €16 million) on emergency works to raise the Danube’s water level near the Paks nuclear power plant, a move aimed at preserving the plant’s cooling capacity during an unprecedented heat wave.
Heat wave forces emergency water measures
Since early June, the Danube – a vital source of cooling water for the 2‑GW Paks facility – has fallen to levels unseen in decades, a consequence of scorching temperatures and a prolonged drought that have afflicted much of Central Europe. Lower water levels reduce the river’s flow rate, limiting the plant’s ability to draw sufficient cooling water and threatening forced shutdowns. CNBC linked the situation to a broader strain on Europe’s nuclear fleet, while Reuters reported that Romania’s Cernavodă reactor could also be forced offline if the trend continues.
Local officials in Paks have repeatedly urged the national government to reassess the plant’s water‑supply safety margins. The municipal council’s resolution, cited by Telex, calls for an independent review of the cooling system’s resilience under drought conditions.
Government’s engineering response
To counter the shortfall, the government plans a multi‑pronged engineering effort. According to Baird Maritime and Hungarian Conservative, a temporary weir – sometimes described as a “dam” – will be erected across the Danube near the plant to back up water and create a deeper channel. Simultaneously, two large barges will be deliberately sunk upstream to act as artificial shoals, further elevating water height over the plant’s intake.
These measures echo a 2018 warning about the plant’s vulnerability, which Tech Times says was ignored until now. The weir and barge plan are described by myMotherLode.com as “emergency interventions” designed to sustain operations until natural river flows recover.
The government has earmarked 6 billion forints (about €16 million) for the project.
The Ministry of Innovation and Technology confirmed the budget and the rapid procurement schedule, though it declined to disclose the exact timeline for construction. Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (referred to as “PM Magyar” in some local reports) emphasized that the steps are “necessary to guarantee uninterrupted electricity supply during the summer peak.”
Critics argue that the ad‑hoc fixes may only provide a temporary reprieve. Central European Times contrasted Paks’s predicament with the Czech and Slovak reactors, which have managed to stay online by leveraging deeper upstream reservoirs and diversified cooling options. Ukrainian outlet УНН noted that similar weir projects have been deployed in other Danube‑bordering nations, but warned that such structures can disrupt navigation and ecosystem balance.
Russian state media, as highlighted by Hungary Today, seized on the episode to mock Hungarian nuclear manager Péter Magyar – unrelated to the Prime Minister – portraying the measures as a sign of technical incompetence. The Hungarian government dismissed the commentary as “politically motivated propaganda”.
Environmental NGOs have called for a broader, long‑term water‑management strategy, arguing that repeated reliance on temporary barges and weirs could undermine river health and trans‑border water agreements. Nevertheless, with electricity demand projected to surge in August, officials say the immediate priority is to keep Paks generating, as it supplies roughly one‑third of Hungary’s power.
Construction of the weir and placement of the barges are slated to begin within weeks, pending final engineering approvals. The government has pledged to monitor water levels daily and to coordinate with Romanian and Serbian authorities to mitigate any cross‑border impacts. If the measures succeed, Paks is expected to maintain full output through the peak summer period; otherwise, reduced output or a temporary shutdown could exacerbate regional energy shortages.
