Rosatom Pushes Ahead with Paks II Amid Hungarian Government Scrutiny

At the International Atomic Energy Agency’s annual conference in Vienna, Alexey Likhachev, director general of Rosatom, reiterated confidence in the Paks II nuclear power plant, stressing that the design accommodates even lower Danube water levels than those recorded during the recent drought. He reported that foundation work for Unit 5 is nearing completion and that preparatory activities for Unit 6 have begun, with French turbine parts already in production and substantial participation from European and Hungarian subcontractors.

Meanwhile, Hungary’s TISZA government under Prime Minister Péter Magyar has initiated a thorough due-diligence review, warning that the project’s total cost could double and noting that only two construction pits have been dug so far. Although Rosatom does not bear sole responsibility for any delays, the prime minister placed blame on the company. Russian analysts, including Alexander Uvarov of AtomInfo-Center, compared the Hungarian stance to market bargaining. Likhachev expressed openness to continued talks in Vienna and said Rosatom awaits detailed proposals from Budapest on how to structure further collaboration.