Hungary- World Nuclear Outlook Report

Projection of future nuclear capacity in Hungary in 2050

Hungary plans for 60-70% of electricity to be supplied by nuclear power by the beginning of the 2030s.¹⁰³

New capacity

Large-scale reactors

An agreement was signed between the Hungarian government and Russia’s Rosatom in 2014 to build two new reactors at Paks. In August 2022 the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority issued the construction licence for the two VVER-1200 units at Paks II.

In January 2023 the energy minister announced a two-year delay to the construction of Paks II, pushing the completion date to 2032. First concrete was expected in 2025.¹⁰⁴

In September 2025 the European Court of Justice backed Austria's appeal against Hungary's state aid for the construction of the Paks II nuclear power plant and said the European Commission "should have ascertained" whether the direct award of a contract "complies with EU public procurement rules". Hungary's Foreign Minister responded that the court’s decision “does not limit or slow down the progress of the investment in any way.”¹⁰⁵

The Hungarian authorities are also looking into building further units beyond the Paks II project.¹⁰⁶

Small-scale reactors

In 2023 Hungary’s energy minister said the country could consider buying one or more small modular reactor (SMR) plants, but not earlier than 2029-2030.^107,108

In May 2024, Hungary and Japan agreed on joint technological development of low-power and small-size nuclear reactors for both countries.¹⁰⁹