About the termination of the Paks II project and the smart choices we must make.

The termination of the contract for the expansion of the Paks II nuclear power plant with the Russian state corporation Rosatom could expose Hungary to compensation claims worth several billion euros, while at the same time permanently jeopardizing the country's long-term energy security, warned Hungarian nuclear expert Žolt Harfaš in an analysis carried by Hungary Today

This post comes at a moment when the Hungarian public is again considering the fate of an investment worth over 10 billion euros, and after political announcements by the new government led by Peter Mađar about a possible revision or termination of cooperation with Rosatom in order to align with the European Union's foreign policy guidelines.

In the meantime, the Paks II project on the ground continues with implementing the planned phases. The ETC Jet company (part of the Rosatom Service group) has undergone an official review for the delivery of the command-room simulator. The analytical simulator is to be delivered to the construction site in December 2027, while the delivery of the full command-room simulator—a faithful replica of the future plant for operator training—is planned for spring 2028.

Comment

This Hungary Today article and expert assessments from Hungary testify precisely to what Nuclear Perspective wrote already at the moment when a new government led by Peter Mađar came to power instead of Viktor Orbán. At that time, many rushed with announcements of an immediate termination of the contract with Rosatom in the name of aligning foreign policy with Brussels, while the new government in Budapest itself announced a comprehensive revision of the project.

However, we also clearly stated at that time that a complete termination is unlikely to occur.

And the reason is simple: capital-intensive nuclear projects are rarely and with difficulty terminated, and it is completely irrational to align foreign policy in ways that cause direct and radical damage to one's own energy system and the state budget.

And the text in Hungary Today, in our view, represents precisely the initial form of creating a narrative frame to defend the Paks II project from pressures that surely exist – we do not doubt at all that enormous pressure is being exerted on the new Hungarian government to do something that would essentially be to the detriment of Hungary.

S.A.