PAKS /Hungary/, February 5. /TASS/. Rosatom CEO Alexey Likhachev and Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto gave a start to the first concrete pouring for the foundation of the Paks II nuclear power plant.
The ceremony was attended by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi, Vice President of Atomstroyexport (Rosatom's engineering division) and Director of the Paks-2 NPP construction project Vitaly Polyanin, Russian Ambassador to Hungary Yevgeny Stanislavov, and heads of Hungarian energy companies. Hungarian and Russian journalists, including a TASS correspondent, were also invited to Paks.
Speaking at the ceremony, Likhachev declared that this event marks "a historic day for nuclear energy worldwide."
"Construction has officially started," the head of Rosatom noted.
He stressed that the project is being implemented "under the patronage of the leaders of the two countries - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban." According to Likhachev, this great devotion will guarantee the project’s success.
In accordance with IAEA standards, after the pouring of the first concrete, the facility is officially designated a "nuclear power plant under construction." This marks the transition from preparatory work to the main construction phase.
According to Rosatom representatives, the Paks-2 NPP will now become the largest nuclear construction project and the largest Russian project in Europe. Its general contractor is JSC Atomstroyexport (Rosatom's engineering division).
Concrete pouring
Concrete is being poured into the foundation of Unit 5, one of two future Paks-2 units to be equipped with VVER-1200 Generation III+ nuclear reactors. These are the first such reactors being built in the European Union, with a guaranteed service life of 60 years.
Currently, the plant, built according to a Soviet design from the 1980s, has four operating units with VVER-440 reactors. Concrete pouring will continue until the end of 2026. The foundation slab for Unit 5 will require nearly 9,000 tons of rebar and 43,000 cubic meters of concrete. Once the foundation is complete, construction of the reactor building's inner and outer containment shells, floor construction, and equipment installation will begin.
The pouring of the first concrete was preceded by extensive preparations. A 23-meter-deep pit had to be dug for Unit 5. According to specialists, a concrete base was created at the bottom of the pit, onto which rebar was installed for the concrete foundation slab. The Russian company TITAN-2 is manufacturing the foundation slab and pouring the first concrete, with the participation of the Hungarian company Bayer Construct Zrt.
The Paks Nuclear Power Plant, which uses Russian nuclear fuel, currently supplies 45% of the electricity generated and 36% of the electricity consumed in Hungary. Units 5 and 6 are scheduled to be connected to the grid in the early 2030s. After that, the capacity of the Paks nuclear complex, located on the Danube River 100 kilometers south of Budapest, will increase from the current 2,000 megawatts to 4,400 megawatts. Nuclear power will account for 70% of Hungary's national energy mix.