Hungary's Paks Nuclear Turbine Comes Back as Magyar Blames Orban for Power Crisis
A drought cut the 2 GW plant to 0.24 GW last week; the new government promises a grid overhaul but inherited near-90% Russian energy dependence it cannot quickly unwind.
Hungary expects one turbine at the Paks nuclear facility to begin generating power on Monday (2026-08-10) evening, Prime Minister Peter Magyar said, marking the first tangible relief from a drought-driven electricity crisis that reduced the country's only nuclear plant to near-standstill output.7
Record-low Danube water levels triggered emergency measures during the week of 2026-08-03, cutting Paks output by almost 90% — from its 2 GW rated capacity to just 0.24 GW. The government asked large industrial consumers to voluntarily reduce power use, Montel reported. Magyar had warned on Thursday (2026-08-06) that the crisis could worsen during the week of 2026-08-10.6
Paks is Hungary's only nuclear station, and the Danube serves as its cooling source. When the river runs low in a summer drought, the plant runs low with it. That single point of vulnerability sits at the centre of an energy system that Magyar argues was left unreformed through sixteen years of Orban government.7,6
Magyar won the May (2026-05-17) election, ending Viktor Orban's rule, and has since moved to lay responsibility for the current squeeze directly on his predecessor's policy choices. Orban built Hungary's energy supply around Russian sources and had placed energy and Ukraine at the heart of his final campaign, arguing Russian pipeline gas and oil kept Hungarian bills lower than elsewhere in the EU, Montel reported.2,1
That logic has a balance sheet. Hungary and Slovakia each source around 90% of their oil from Russia and remain heavy buyers of Russian natural gas, Montel data show. The depth of that dependency means Magyar's government cannot simply issue a directive and rewire the system. Analysts told Montel on Monday (2026-04-13) that confidential long-term contracts and limited alternative pipeline infrastructure could keep Hungary reliant on Russian energy for up to a decade.3,4
Magyar's short-term answer, laid out late on Thursday (2026-08-06), was an announcement of what he called an "energy revolution" built on battery storage and grid investment, Montel reported. The language is combative and the targets are medium-term. Neither battery capacity nor upgraded grids will cool a nuclear reactor or replenish a drought-depleted river in August (2026-08).6
Tisza holds a projected two-thirds parliamentary supermajority, according to War on the Rocks, giving Magyar substantial legislative authority. That majority can alter domestic policy and reopen contracts where terms permit. It cannot substitute for the pipelines, terminals, and alternative import routes that a genuine shift away from Russian energy requires.5
European gas markets offered no comfort to buyers exposed to spot prices. ICE Endex TTF front-month gas traded at €60.82/MWh in the 2026-08-10 evening session, up 9.59%, with THE M+1 contracts at €61.37/MWh, up 9.55% in the same session. German power reached €135.95/MWh, up 3.64%. Those are broader European moves, not Hungary-specific, but they reflect the cost environment Magyar's government faces as it tries to diversify supply. [live prices]
The Paks restart, if stable, removes the most acute pressure from Hungary's near-term power balance. But the Danube's water level is the variable no policy document controls. The same drought that drove the crisis through the week of 2026-08-03 had not materially reversed as of 2026-08-10, and Magyar himself flagged the possibility of conditions worsening before they improve. For industrial buyers and power traders watching this market, the next concrete indicator is whether Danube levels allow Paks to sustain output beyond a single turbine — or whether returning heat pushes the government back to mandatory demand curbs.6,7