Russia’s Rosatom is accelerating work on the Paks II project, which will provide Hungary with two new nuclear reactors, but a key political relationship behind the massive investment has changed dramatically. While Viktor Orbán’s governments maintained unusually close ties with Moscow for years, Rosatom now says it has established working relations with the new management of the Hungarian project company – but has received no approach from Prime Minister Péter Magyar’s government itself.
Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev discussed both the construction and the changed political environment in comments to the Russian press on Thursday. According to a statement by the Russian state nuclear corporation reported by MTI, construction at Paks has accelerated and Rosatom says it is proceeding according to the schedule agreed with its Hungarian client.
The distinction between cooperation with the project company and relations with the government is increasingly significant. Hungary changed governments in May after Péter Magyar defeated Viktor Orbán, ending 16 years of continuous Fidesz rule. The new administration has already announced that it intends to review both the financing and implementation of Paks II.
Rosatom: Magyar government has not approached us
Likhachev said the management of Paks II Nuclear Power Plant Ltd changed around a month ago and Rosatom had already established a working relationship with the new leadership.
Relations at government level appear to be another matter.
Rosatom is ready for dialogue and prepared to provide factual and quantifiable answers to any questions raised by the Hungarian government, Likhachev said. However, the company has so far received no approach from the new government.
That is a striking change from the political environment in which the Paks II project was created. Orbán’s government awarded the project to Russia’s state-owned Rosatom in 2014 without an open tender. Over the following years, Orbán maintained close political and energy ties with Moscow even as Hungary’s relations with several EU partners deteriorated.
After Orbán’s election defeat in April, Reuters described his departure as a significant change for Moscow, noting his close ties with Russia, his support for continued Russian energy imports and his opposition to several EU measures against Moscow. The Kremlin responded to Magyar’s victory by expressing hope for pragmatic relations with the new Hungarian leadership.
Magyar’s government has taken a different approach. Foreign Minister Anita Orbán has said Hungary’s primary alliances are the European Union and NATO and that Budapest wants an equal and transparent relationship with Russia. At the same time, the government has not proposed cutting all energy ties with Moscow. Reuters reported in May that the administration intended to review Paks II while diversifying Hungary’s energy sources.
As we wrote earlier, Putin’s people take aim at PM Magyar again, this time mocking the energy crisis and Paks
Paks II construction is meanwhile moving ahead
Political uncertainty has not stopped physical construction.
Likhachev said the foundation of the Unit 5 reactor building is now around 80% complete, with more than 18,000 cubic metres of concrete already poured. Rosatom expects the foundation to be completed before winter.
The first concrete for Unit 5 was poured on 5 February 2026, a milestone that means the new plant officially qualifies as being under construction according to International Atomic Energy Agency terminology, as confirmed by the official Paks II project company.
Work is also progressing on Unit 6, where excavation for the reactor building is under way. Preparations for its first concrete pour are expected to begin before the end of the year.
Rosatom has also started manufacturing reactor equipment for both units. Components of the Unit 5 reactor pressure vessel have been completed and assembly is expected to start shortly. Around 500 people are currently working at the Paks II construction site, according to Likhachev. Companies from Hungary, Russia, France, the United States, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic and several other countries are involved in the project.
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Magyar wants Paks II reviewed as Danube problems intensify
The political debate has become even more urgent because of Hungary’s recent energy problems.
Record-low water levels on the Danube forced the existing Paks nuclear plant to slash production earlier in August. Péter Magyar subsequently said that Paks II must be reconsidered from a cooling perspective as well, because the new reactors are currently also designed to rely on the Danube.
According to Reuters, Magyar said the project had already become significantly more expensive than originally planned and that its cooling system should be renegotiated, with alternatives such as cooling towers also considered.
The result is an unusual situation: Russia is already building Hungary’s next two nuclear reactors, while the political relationship that produced the deal has fundamentally changed.
Rosatom is signalling that it wants the Paks II project to continue without further delay. Magyar’s government, meanwhile, has promised to scrutinise the project, its financing and its dependence on the Danube. Whether Budapest and Moscow can establish the pragmatic relationship required to complete one of Hungary’s largest-ever infrastructure projects may now become just as important as the concrete being poured at Paks.
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