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Foreign Minister: New Milestone in Approval Process of Paks Nuclear Plant Expansion

Hungary Today 2022.07.01.

Another milestone in the approval process for the Paks expansion has been reached, as the National Atomic Energy Authority (OAH) has granted the most important approval in terms of nuclear safety, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced in Istanbul on Thursday.

The agency approved the application for the manufacturing authorization for the melt trap, the minister said. It is a critical component of reactors with a long production life, whose task is to contain the melt escaping from the reactor vessel in the event of a nuclear accident, thereby preventing the release of substances that are harmful to the environment and human health.

This is an important step forward so that the actual construction work for the nuclear power plant can begin, he stressed.

Szijjártó then announced that he would hold talks with the management of the Russian nuclear company Rosatom in Istanbul on Friday in order to speed up work on the expansion of the Paks nuclear power plant, so that way the two new reactor blocks planned for 2030 can be commissioned.

Foreign and Trade Min Szijjártó Aims to Speed Up Paks Nuclear Plant Upgrade
Foreign and Trade Min Szijjártó Aims to Speed Up Paks Nuclear Plant Upgrade

Challenges of the coming period include a "revolution of the automotive industry", ensuring uninterrupted supply chains, and a global food and energy supply crisis, Szijjártó said.Continue reading

The development is important in light of the war in Ukraine and geopolitical shifts which are creating serious global energy supply challenges, the Minister said.

“In the coming years, those countries that can produce as much of their own energy as possible will feel secure,” Szijjártó said. “The Paks plant has a key role to play in this,”he added.

Szijjártó emphasized that the faster the two new reactor units are built, the more stable and secure Hungary’s energy supply will become, and the faster Hungary will be able to free itself from the “incredible disruptions” on the world energy market and the “extreme price volatility” that have been observed in recent months and are expected to continue in the coming years.

The capacity expansion of Paks will also allow long-term preservation of Hungary’s utility cost reduction program, concluded the Foreign Minister.

via Ungarn Heute

Featured photo by Zoltán Balogh/MTI


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