Hungary’s incoming government will review the financing and implementation of the Paks nuclear power plant expansion project, the nominee for economy and energy affairs minister said, signaling a potential shift in Budapest’s energy strategy following its recent election landslide, Reuters reports.
The €12.5-billion ($14.7 billion) project, which aims to expand the 2-gigawatt Paks nuclear facility with two Russian-made VVER reactors, was awarded to Russia’s state nuclear corporation Rosatom in 2014 without a competitive tender. The project has faced repeated delays, drawing criticism from political observers who view it as emblematic of the close ties between Hungary and Moscow under former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.
Speaking at a parliamentary hearing, Istvan Kapitany said, “We need a transparent nuclear strategy. We have to review the financing and costs of Paks 2 and its implementation conditions. These are classified contracts, which we have not yet seen; we need to examine them.”
Centre-right Prime Minister Peter Magyar, who was sworn in on May 9, previously claimed that the cost of the expansion was over-inflated. Rosatom, for its part, said it was prepared to justify the project’s price tag.
Kapitany emphasized that nuclear energy would continue to play an important role in Hungary’s energy mix while pledging to combat corruption, a practice critics argue was widespread under Orbán’s government—a claim the former prime minister denies.
The review of Paks 2 is expected to be closely watched by European Union authorities, as the incoming government seeks to repair strained relations with Brussels following years of tensions over governance and transparency.
By Vafa Guliyeva
