Hungary - World Nuclear Performance Report
Four VVER-440 reactors operate at the Paks nuclear power plant, 100 km south of Budapest, with a combined capacity of 1916 MWe. The plant generates around half of the electricity produced in Hungary, but supplies around one-third of electricity demand, as the country relies heavily on imported electricity.
The four units at Paks started up between 1982 and 1987. Their design lifetime was for 30 years but that was extended in 2005 by 20 years, to between 2032 and 2037. In December 2023 the operator of the plant notified the European Union of the country’s intention to further extend the operating lifetime of the four units to 70 years.
In August 2022 the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority (HAEA) issued a construction licence for two VVER-1200 units at Paks II, to be built by Rosatom. In April 2023 the government announced its intention to continue with the project, despite the conflict in Ukraine and the European Union’s sanctions against Russia. In May 2023 the European Union approved an amended contract with
Rosatom. Preparatory groundworks began at the Paks II site in July 2023 and were completed in April 2025. First concrete is expected in 2026.
Electricity production by age of reactor
