Hungary Reviews Replacing Rosatom on Paks II

Hungary is reviewing whether to replace Russia’s Rosatom as the main contractor for the Paks II nuclear expansion, with the government reportedly leaning toward continuing the project without the company. The review is considering alternative suppliers, but no replacement has been named and no decision has been made. Two people familiar with the process told Reuters that Hungary had sounded out potential suppliers. A source close to the administration said the government considered additional nuclear capacity necessary but was leaning toward excluding Rosatom. The Hungarian cabinet’s decision is expected later in 2026 or early 2027, according to the reporting; that timeline is an expectation, not a confirmed schedule. Rosatom said it had received no formal notice that Hungary intended to terminate its contract and saw no legally justified grounds for doing so. The company also said work and production of equipment for the future units were continuing. Rosatom chief executive Alexei Likhachev said earlier in October that the company was awaiting the review’s conclusion and had not received a response to its approach to the new government for talks. The project, awarded to...