Electricity production at Paks nuclear power plant to be restored to full capacity this week

HUNGARY - In Brief 24 Aug 2026 by Istvan Racz

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Currently, Paks is producing at nearly three-fourth of its full capacity (see the Chart below). Within the next two days, output is going to be restored to full capacity, according to current plans.Output at the Paks nuclear power plant at 11:53 CEST on August 24, 2026Source: Portfolio.huPreviously, output was reduced to only 250MW on August 4, meaning the operation of just one of the plant's total eight units, organised into four blocks. This was due to extreme low water levels in the river Danube, which secures cooling of the power plant. At one point, the water level was only one centimeter away from the safety threshold, at which point the full turn-off of production would have been required. Then some additional water supply arrived from the direction of Austria, due to some rainfall over there, allowing the start of another production unit. However, crisis level water supply returned later on: it was only 4 cms above the safety threshold just a few days ago.On August 12, the government cabinet approved plans for the construction of a riverbed threshold on the Danube at Paks, to raise the water level permanently, so that the required supply of the cooling liquid would be permanently secured at required levels. Construction works have been proceeding with great thrust ever since then, a considerable part of the object made ready by now. Meanwhile, more rain fell at the German-Austrian water collection territory of the Danube, which helped to raise the river's water level at Paks by more than half a meter by now.Experts do not expect the repetition of the recent two crisis situations, given the construction of the riverbed threshold. During the close to one month pe...