Hungary’s electricity system received a significant boost on Saturday after the Dunamenti Power Plant in Százhalombatta successfully returned to full operation following several days of repairs, restoring almost 400 megawatts of generating capacity during the country’s ongoing energy emergency.

The operator announced that the G3 generating unit resumed full-capacity operation on 1 August after successfully completing technical inspections and trial runs. The block was reconnected to the national electricity grid at 4:45 PM, making its nearly 400 MW of generation capacity available once again.

Earlier-than-expected restart

Prime Minister Péter Magyar welcomed the development in a Facebook post, describing it as “important news”.

“The Dunamenti Power Plant in Százhalombatta is back in operation after just three days thanks to rapid repair work. This provides an additional 360 MW of capacity. Thank you to everyone involved in the repairs,” the prime minister wrote.

Just a day earlier, Magyar had indicated that the plant was expected to resume operations on Sunday, meaning the restart came ahead of schedule.

Repairs delayed by technical fault

The G3 unit had originally been scheduled to restart on 29 July, but the process had to be suspended after engineers detected a technical fault in a specialised seal on one of the steam turbine’s protective valves. According to the operator, the unit could only be reconnected after the necessary repairs, extensive technical inspections and a successful trial operation had been completed.

Important support during the energy crisis

The restart comes as Hungary continues to face severe pressure on its electricity system due to exceptionally low water levels on the Danube, which have forced the gradual reduction of output at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant.

Although the restored capacity of the Dunamenti Power Plant significantly strengthens the national grid, it does not fully offset the latest loss at Paks. On Saturday alone, another turbine at the nuclear plant was taken offline because of the low river level, reducing Paks’ output by around 480 MW.

The Dunamenti Power Plant, owned by the MET Group since 2022, is Hungary’s largest gas-fired power station and has become a key element of the government’s efforts to maintain electricity supply during the current energy emergency.

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