Peter Magyar Seeks a Scapegoat to Deflect Attention from the Paks Weir Problem

Peter Magyar turned the Paks nuclear power plant into a near-daily stage for political communication, the article says, after low Danube water levels forced the facility to sharply reduce production during Europe’s summer drought and heatwave.

The situation at Paks became one of the central themes of Magyar’s public messaging. The article describes a sequence in which the prime minister first promoted voluntary reductions in energy consumption, then declared that the country had moved beyond the energy crisis once the situation became difficult to defend politically.

Magyar subsequently appeared regularly at the plant, giving on-site briefings and presenting the work in detail. He brought cameras, boarded a boat and commented on events while wearing a safety helmet. Helicopters lifted concrete elements, while stones and other construction materials went into the Danube as part of the intervention.

The article says energy lawyer Máté Tóth had already suggested raising the Danube’s water level near Paks with a temporary solution at the beginning of the crisis. Magyar reportedly mocked the proposal at the time, arguing that intervention could prevent the International Atomic Energy Agency from allowing the plant to restart.

The government has ordered an investigation into the failures that led to the situation at the plant. The article presents the later construction work and Magyar’s public appearances as an effort to shift attention toward alleged political scapegoating rather than the underlying problems.