Two 80-meter-long barges loaded with rocks will be sink on the section of the Danube adjacent to the Paks Nuclear Power Plant near Dunaszentbenedek on August 18, 2026 to raise the water level of the Danube and help secure the facility's cooling water supply. Construction experts from the Hungarian Water Authority and the Hungarian Defense Forces are racing against time at the power plant, as the Danube's water level is expected to drop another 89 centimeters over the next two days, directly endangering the operation of the two remaining units. Therefore, the controlled sinking of the barges here is to ensure the operation results in an adequate rise in water level at the power plant pumps. (Photo by Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP via Getty Images)