Eastern Europe’s Love Affair With Nuclear Is Hitting the Rocks
Countries in the former Soviet bloc are desperately trying to upgrade facilities but are squeezed by time and money.
Warning tape hangs inside the Paks nuclear power plant.
Photographer: Akos Stiller/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Zoltan Gorog is ready for the Russian invasion. The real estate agent in the Hungarian town of Paks has added Cyrillic to the blue and white sign hanging above his offices. He’s set up empty desks for when he needs to expand to cope with the surge in business.
Rather than a flood of people, though, there’s barely a trickle. Five years after Hungary’s government signed an agreement with nuclear energy company Rosatom Corp. to build two new reactors at the aging plant near the town, there’s still no start date for the bulk of the work.