First concrete has been poured for unit 1 of Hungary’s Paks II expansion project (also known a Paks unit 5). The Paks II project was launched in 2014 by an inter-governmental agreement between Hungary and Russia for two VVER-1200 reactors (units 5&6) to be supplied by Rosatom. The contract was supported by a Russian state loan to finance the majority of the project. The Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority issued the licence for the units in August 2022. In December 2024, Hungary’s National Atomic Energy Authority (OAH – Országos Atomenergia Hivatal) approved the preliminary safety report required for pouring first concrete for Paks II.
The event site was attended by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Economic Relations & Foreign Affairs Péter Szijjártó and Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev. The pouring of first concrete marks the transition of the facility to the status of a nuclear power plant under construction, according to IAEA standards.
Grossi said it was a great day for Hungary, for Russia, for nuclear co-operation and for sustainable energy. He recalled that the Paks II investment sometimes faces headwinds, but this can be overcome in international cooperation. He said it was a great honour “to be here at this moment where you are really moving from an excellent project to a reality we can see…already emerging from the earth as a powerful sign of Hungary’s prosperity and growth as a major European economy.”
He recalled that the project had faced “strong headwinds and was a good example of determination and willpower. “We can only celebrate the fact that together they have been able to overcome these difficulties – be they political, demographic, financial or otherwise – and move the project forward.”
Péter Szijjártó said completion of Paks-II “will mean we will be able to produce, using nuclear energy, around 70% of Hungary’s electricity demand”. He added: “This will significantly reduce our dependence on international markets and their often completely irrational price increases.”
He noted that the Hungarian government had taken the decision to upgrade the Paks NPP at a time when nuclear energy had been disparaged, but said the critics had since come to acknowledge that nuclear was the cheapest and most environmentally-friendly way to reliably generate large amounts of electricity. He added Paks II would give Hungary a big advantage in future. Szijjártó said many had tried and were still trying to block the upgrade of the Paks NPP, including “the former American administration, the liberals in Brussels and some of the Hungarian opposition”, but he added that the government had not and would not allow those efforts to succeed.
“We have agreed with President Donald Trump that the United States will abolish the sanctions previously adopted in connection with Paks II. In Brussels, we ourselves have prevented and are preventing the European Union from imposing sanctions against the nuclear sector. And we will defeat the opposition,” he emphasised.
“Today we have reached an important milestone, and after that milestone we will have even more important tasks. The investment must be accelerated and completed as soon as possible,” he said. “A few more years, a few more years of construction, a few more years of great work, and we can connect Paks II to Hungary’s electricity network, and thereby take a huge step towards achieving Hungarian energy sovereignty.”
Alexey Likhachev noted: “Today’s landmark event illustrates the constructive and mutually beneficial relations that have developed between our countries. The Paks-II NPP is becoming a logical continuation of our long-term cooperation in nuclear energy. For Hungary, Paks-II is, of course, a strategic step that will bring the country a number of fundamental advantages and will become a driver for the development of the national economy. For Rosatom this project is yet another proof of our leadership position in the nuclear industry and a contribution to the development of Russian industry.”
Stanislav Khoroshikh, Director of TITAN-2 in Hungary said pouring first concrete was preceded by many months of preparation. “The work was carried out in close cooperation with Hungarian partner Bayer Construct. A high degree of coordination has made it possible to ensure compliance with all technological, environmental and regulatory requirements. TITAN-2 has extensive experience in constructing the most modern nuclear power plants in Russia and abroad, and this experience allows us to confidently move on to the active phase of construction, ensuring a high level of quality, safety and compliance with approved deadlines.”
Concreting will be carried out continuously until the end of the year. The materials that will be needed to construct the foundation slab will include almost 9,000 tonnes of reinforcement and 43,000 cubic metres of concrete mixture. After the foundation is ready, the construction of the internal and external containments of the reactor building, the construction of ceilings and the installation of equipment will begin. The melt trap will be installed first component to be installed. This has already been manufactured in Russia and delivered to the site. Work on the fabrication of the reactor p-pressure vessels at AEM-Spetsstal in St Petersburg began in April 2024.
