The work is progressing well, meaning the sunken barges can be removed and will then be able to assist with the scattering of stones — the defence minister announced on Friday on his Facebook page in connection with works being carried out to ensure the operation of the Paks nuclear power plant.

Standing on the currently under-construction water structure built from stones, Romulusz Ruszin-Szendi said in a video attached to the post that the work is continuous and progressing well, and that the sunken barges can therefore be removed.

He drew attention to the fact that the technical structure completed so far on both the right and left banks is already holding back the Danube more effectively than the barges, which are no longer as submerged as they previously were.

The barges will be removed and will “get to work so that — particularly on the right bank — the stones can be scattered into the deep water,” the minister said.

The defence minister announced on Thursday that on the left bank alone, approximately 2,500 cubic metres of stone had been incorporated so far, while several times that amount had been placed on the right bank. The soldiers had advanced 194 metres on the left bank, and work was also continuing on the other side, though there it was considerably more difficult due to the greater depth of the water, he said at the time.

Prime Minister Péter Magyar announced on Wednesday evening, broadcasting live from the site, that from Sunday midnight they will begin gradually reconnecting the currently inactive blocks at the nuclear power plant, and that by next Thursday or Friday the facility could be operating at full capacity, thanks to works that have raised the water level at the water intake structure used for cooling the turbines.

Several blocks of the Paks nuclear power plant had to be shut down in early August due to the low water level of the Danube, which provides cold water for cooling. Since 2 August, only two turbines of Block 2 have been operating at full capacity. On 12 August, the government decided to construct a bottom sill on the river near the nuclear power plant, which, by raising the water level, would enable the restart of the plant.

Artificial intelligence was used for the translation of parts of the original Hungarian text.