Hungary has begun restoring generation at the Paks nuclear power plant after rising Danube water levels eased the cooling restrictions that had pushed the facility’s output to historic lows.
Prolonged drought and extreme heat caused the Danube to fall to record-low levels, forcing Paks to operate at around 10% of its capacity. At the lowest point, only one of the plant’s eight turbines remained online, putting additional pressure on Hungary’s electricity system. Under normal conditions, Paks supplies nearly half of the country’s electricity demand.
The river level has since risen by 19 centimeters from its recent low, allowing operators to begin restarting a second turbine on 10 August, with generation expected to resume later that day. Further rainfall in Austria could increase Danube flows in the coming days, although it remains uncertain how sustainable the recovery will be.
The disruption has renewed concerns over Hungary’s long-term energy security and the vulnerability of nuclear generation to extreme weather conditions. The government is reassessing elements of the planned Paks 2 expansion, as the new reactors would also depend on the Danube for cooling. The recent drought highlighted the risks that exceptionally low river levels could pose to future nuclear generation.
Hungary is also seeking to diversify its electricity mix. The government plans to offer 700 MW of new wind capacity by the end of August, as part of a broader target to increase the country’s wind fleet to 4 GW by 2030.
Hungary currently has around 300 MW of installed wind capacity, compared with more than 8.5 GW of solar power. The imbalance leaves the country’s renewable generation heavily concentrated in photovoltaic capacity and highlights the government’s push to accelerate wind development.
