Hungary has begun the controlled sinking of two 80-metre barges in the Danube at the Paks nuclear power plant to raise critically low water levels and maintain cooling-water supplies, according to the Hungarian government. Paks was operating two turbines with combined output of 500 MW when the sinking began, about a quarter of its normal capacity.
The operation started on 15 August after the barges were positioned and secured, with initial measurements showing the water level rising by 1 cm. Each barge is 80 metres long, 10 metres wide and 3 metres high and is being lowered by flooding its internal tanks. The temporary barrier is intended to raise the river level by as much as 20 cm near the plant.
Without intervention, falling Danube levels could have forced one of the remaining turbines offline within days and created the risk of a full shutdown five or six days later. The barges are an emergency interim measure while a riverbed sill is built near the plant.
The project requires about 145,000 cubic metres of rock, including about 35,000 cubic metres for the first functional section. The works are estimated to cost HUF 6.1bn ($19.6m), while a complete shutdown of Paks would cost the Hungarian budget at least HUF 50bn ($160.3m) for every month the plant remained offline. A navigation closure has been imposed around the work site. The temporary use of floating structures and construction of the riverbed sill were designated priority investments under government decree 122/2026 published on 12 August.