Hungary allowed to build the fifth reactor of the Paks-2 nuclear power plant and the “nuclear island”

BUDAPEST, Aug 30 – PRIME. The Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority issued a permit for the construction of the fifth reactor of the Paks-2 nuclear power plant and six permits for the construction of a “nuclear island”, said Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto. The broadcast was on social media.

Szijjarto noted that “permission to build the fifth building is very important because this is the building that can guarantee that during the production of atomic energy there is no release of harmful substances into the environment from the reactor pressure vessel and related equipment.” “This reactor vessel can ensure that in the event of a natural or anthropogenic impact, there is also no need to fear radioactive contamination.”

“This building will be built in such a way that even in the event of a major plane crash, it will be able to protect us from radioactive contamination and will be ready for various extreme environmental impacts,” he explained.

The minister added that “if you now visit the Paksha territory, you can see that the work has begun, it has become more intensive, the extraction of soil is being carried out to a depth of five meters, to the level of groundwater.” “This is the first important step towards the start of the actual construction work… Finally, we were able to take on the construction phase of the Paks NPP more intensively and dynamically. This can ensure the construction of new units for us until 2030, these steps are of decisive importance in terms of the security of Hungary’s energy supply,… current permits ensure that new units can be operational by 2030,” Szijjártó concluded.

The agency published a document last week on its website confirming that the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority had issued a permit for the construction of the fifth and sixth units of the Paks II nuclear power plant. It was noted that the license is valid for ten years from the date of issuance.

The Paks nuclear power plant is located 100 kilometers from Budapest and five from the city of Paks. The station was built according to the Soviet project, it operates four units with VVER-440 reactors. The Paks nuclear power plant now generates almost half of all electricity in Hungary, and with the planned commissioning of two new Paks units, this share is expected to double. For Hungary, nuclear energy is a way to ensure its energy security, the leadership of this country has repeatedly emphasized.

At the end of 2014, Russia and Hungary signed documents on the construction of new power units No. 5 and No. 6 with reactor plants at the Paks NPP according to the advanced Russian VVER-1200 project, which meets the most modern reliability and safety standards. It was reported that Russia would give Hungary a state loan of up to 10 billion euros for the Paks-2 project, and the total cost of the work would be 12.5 billion euros.