Hungary wants to extend operation of Paks 1 for another 20 years — NPP’s operator
According to Pal Kovacs, the company provides various support to the settlements located close to Paks
SIRIUS /Federal Territory/, March 26. /TASS/. Hungary plans to extend the operation of the nuclear power plant in the city of Paks for another 20 years, Pal Kovacs, State Secretary for the maintenance of capacity of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, said at the Atomexpo-2024 forum in Sochi.
"We want to extend the operation of the plant for another 20 years, while two new units of the 1200 MW type are being built nearby," Kovacs said.
He noted that the majority of the country's population supports the operation of the plant.
"We are open to the population. The responsible approval and support are important to us. As a result, the majority of us in Hungary support the fact that nuclear power plants operate in the country," he said.
According to the representative of the plant’s operator, the company provides various support to the settlements located close to Paks.
"We operate nuclear power plants with the minimum environmental load, maintain emissions into the environment at the lowest possible level, much below the limit values. We support an energy school, a sports club, local and regional organizations. We support public goals such as climate protection, sustainable development," Kovacs said.
He praised the work of Russian specialists at the plant. "It is very good. Excellent work is being done," he said, answering a question from TASS.
"We have been working [together] for more than 60 years. In 1966, we signed an intergovernmental agreement, built four units. <...> Now it’s time to extend the operational life and terms of these units, build new plants in order to come to a completely CO2 emissions free energy sector," Kovacs said.
Currently, the Paks nuclear power plant, built by Soviet specialists in the 1980s and powered by Russian nuclear fuel, accounts for half of all electricity generated and a third of electricity consumed in Hungary. Located on the banks of the Danube 100 km south of Budapest, the plant has four power units with VVER-440 reactors. The construction of its second stage - the fifth and sixth power units - is underway.