Preparations for the first concrete pouring are underway

12/10/25, 8:37 AM
The concrete batching facility has started working and the levelling concrete is in progress.

The concrete batching facility at the site of the Paks II. project is already in operation and preparations are underway in the excavation pit of Unit 5 in order to start the construction of the foundation slab of the first technological building, i.e. the first concrete pouring in February 2026. According to the terminology of the International Atomic Energy Agency the new Paks nuclear power plant will be considered under construction from this milestone.

 

After the reinforcement is completed, the fittings to be installed are placed according to the plans, they are formed around them and finally under continuous quality control, special concrete of a quality confirmed by laboratory tests is poured. Since this activity cannot be interrupted, several concrete pumps work in parallel in order to ensure continuous work. The scale is clearly illustrated by the fact that 329 cubic meters of concrete were used to construct the first foundation slab bay. At the end of the process, the hardening and temperature of the concrete are monitored using instruments.
In the excavation pit the different work phases are therefore carried out in parallel in each bay. The levelling concrete of the different areas, the insulation of the levelling concrete, the grounding mesh works, the reinforcement and the concreting of the foundation slabs bay proceed side by side according to the so-called construction organization plan.


 

The work is progressing not only in the Unit 5 excavation pit of the Paks II project. Soil improvement is being carried out in areas outside the nuclear islands, the development of the Unit 6 excavation pit to the design level is starting, the construction and erection base serving the construction of the technological buildings is continuing, and, among other things, the earthworks of the Training Centre have begun.
<p>In the excavation pit of Unit 5, TITAN-2 company has started the so-called levelling concrete construction with the involvement of the Hungarian-owned Bayer Construct Ltd. The task of this step is to provide a solid, clean and smooth surface for further work. The volume of the work is characterized by the fact that more than 80 thousand cubic meters of levelling concrete will be needed for the foundation slab of the two units. In the current area, the first layer of levelling concrete is 10 centimetres thick, the grounding grid will be placed on this surface and then another 14 centimetres thick concrete layer. This is where the waterproofing will be placed.

The levelling concrete is served by a concrete batching facility that has already been put into operation at the Paks II. site. In order to ensure the continuity of the concreting, this facility, in fact, consists of two concrete mixing units, each with three 500-ton cement silos, aggregate storage silos, loading ramps with a load capacity of 30 tons/vehicle and other equipment necessary for the concrete production technology.

As it is known, on 4 November 2025 the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority issued the amended construction licenses for the construction of the Unit 5 control building, auxiliary building and steam cell, as well as the partial occupancy licence for the soil improvement of the Unit 5 nuclear island. Obtaining the licenses was a key step in starting the concreting works, including the construction work of the foundation slab of the Unit 5 nuclear island.