Overview
- Hungary began switching a second turbine back on at the Paks nuclear plant after the Danube rose about 19 centimetres, easing pressure on a facility that had been operating at roughly 10% capacity with one of eight turbines running.
- Romania redirected local Danube flow by blasting a rock obstruction, dredging the riverbed and sinking four rock-filled barges to form a dike, raising water by about 4 centimetres and securing roughly nine more days of operation for its working Cernavodă reactor.
- Both governments say the gains may be temporary and continued to rely on imported electricity, voluntary demand reduction and emergency measures to keep grids stable through August.
- The crisis has forced operational reviews and policy shifts, with Hungary pausing aspects of the planned Paks 2 design and announcing accelerated wind tenders to reduce future dependence on river-cooled reactors.
- The low Danube levels were driven by a prolonged heatwave and drought that reduced cooling water for nuclear and hydropower, disrupted shipping and industry, and are increasing debate on longer-term fixes such as deeper intakes, alternate cooling systems and more grid and storage links.