Danube Water Levels Recover, Hungary Restarts Second Turbine at Paks Nuclear Power Plant

On August 10, as the Danube River's water levels recovered, Hungary began restarting a previously constrained turbine at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant. The Paks plant uses Danube water for cooling and normally supplies nearly half of Hungary's electricity. Due to heatwaves and persistent drought, the Danube's water levels fell to historic lows in recent weeks, reducing the plant's generating capacity to about 10%, with only one of its eight turbines remaining operational.

According to available information, Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar stated on the 10th that the Danube's water level had risen 19 centimeters from the low point recorded last week, and that restart work on the second turbine at the Paks plant had begun, with power generation expected to resume by Monday evening. He also previously noted that expected rainfall in Austria could raise the Danube's water levels, but that this change might only be temporary.

The recent high temperatures and extreme drought in Europe have impacted electricity production, inland river transport, and public health systems. Romania is also facing similar pressures, with authorities declaring a state of energy emergency for the entire month of August and taking measures to adjust the Danube's water flow to ensure the continued operation of the country's sole nuclear power plant over the coming days. Related operations include blasting a rock dam, dredging the riverbed, and sinking four barges filled with rocks to build a dike, raising the water level around the reactor by approximately 4 centimeters.

In response to the challenges that low water levels pose to nuclear power plant cooling capacity, the Hungarian government has stated that it is studying long-term solutions, including a review of the "Paks II" nuclear power plant expansion project, as current plans expect the new units to also rely on Danube cooling water. Meanwhile, Hungary also plans to diversify its energy supply, intending to launch a tender for 700 megawatts of wind power capacity by August 31, with plans to develop 4 gigawatts of wind power capacity by 2030.