The Hungarian National Atomic Energy Agency (OAH – Országos Atomenergia Hivatal) has granted a partial commissioning permit to Paks II NPP company, Paks II Atomerőmű Zrt, for the construction of units 5&6, specifically for the soil stabilisation works of unit 5’s nuclear island.
Some preparatory work had already taken place at the site, but work had not yet progressed to the concrete-pouring stage. In January 2025, a section of the southern wall of the unit 5 excavation pit collapsed, prompting OAH to suspend all operations until the resulting irregular condition was rectified. This issue has now been resolved, and the OAH has granted conditional permission for the concrete pouring of the first unit in the Paks II project (also known as unit 5 of the Paks NPP.
The Paks II project was launched in 2014 by an inter-governmental agreement between Hungary and Russia for two VVER-1200 reactors to be supplied by Rosatom. The contract was supported by a Russian state loan to finance the majority of the project. OAH issued the licence for the units in August 2022. The currently operating Paks NPP comprises four VVER-440 power units launched between 1982 and 1987. Paks provides half of all generated and one third of the consumed electricity in Hungary.
Meanwhile, in September, the Court of Justice of the European Union annulled the European Commission’s (EC’s) approval of Hungarian state aid provided for Paks II. This called into question the legal basis for the Paks II project in the European Union. The EC must now re-examine whether to permit the Hungarian government to provide state aid for the construction of the two new unit without a public procurement procedure.
