Story perspectives

Paks Plant to Resume Generation Monday Evening After Turbine Switch-On

8/13/2026

Summary

Story summary

Péter Magyar said the Paks nuclear plant will resume generation on Monday evening as turbine No. 3 is switched on.
Following a 19 centimetre Danube rise, authorities will build a 145,000-cubic-metre rock bed sill Thursday and may sink two 80-metre barges to add 20 centimetres of water, raising levels up to a metre.
Magyar estimated reduced output costs Hungary up to 50 billion forints ($158 million) monthly and river works about 6 billion forints ($19 million).

History

Historical Context

During the 2002 Danube flood, water rose to a record 865 cm in Budapest, prompting Prime Minister Viktor Orbán to declare a state of emergency and deploy 8,000 soldiers, 8,000 emergency staff and thousands of experts. Today, the Paks nuclear reactor’s restart and renewed Danube-level controls echo that large-scale infrastructure response, underscoring Hungary’s long-standing flood-energy strategy.

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Story summary

Péter Magyar said the Paks nuclear plant will resume generation on Monday evening as turbine No. 3 is switched on.
Following a 19 centimetre Danube rise, authorities will build a 145,000-cubic-metre rock bed sill Thursday and may sink two 80-metre barges to add 20 centimetres of water, raising levels up to a metre.
Magyar estimated reduced output costs Hungary up to 50 billion forints ($158 million) monthly and river works about 6 billion forints ($19 million).

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