VIENNA, September 15. /TASS/. Budapest is accelerating the implementation of the Paks-2 NPP construction project amid attempts by external forces to prevent its implementation, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Economic Relations Peter Szijjarto said at the 69th session of the IAEA General Conference.
"And regardless all attacks, regardless all attempts to kill our project, Hungary accelerates the construction of its new nuclear power plant," the Hungarian Foreign Minister said.
The Paks NPP, which was built with Soviet technologies, and which uses Russian nuclear fuel, provides half of all generated and one third of consumed electricity in Hungary. At present, four power units with VVER-440 reactors operate at the station built about 100 kilometers south of Budapest on the banks of the Danube.
In late 2014, Russia and Hungary signed documents on the construction of new power units 5 and 6 at Paks NPP with reactor plants of the advanced VVER-1200 project, which meets the most modern standards of reliability and safety. It was reported that Russia would give Hungary a state loan of up to 10 billion euros for the Paks-2 project, with the total cost of construction exceeding 12.5 billion euros. The Hungarian government expects that after the commissioning of two new VVER-1200 nuclear reactors, the plant's capacity will increase from the current 2,000 megawatts to 4,400 megawatts.
On September 11, the EU Court of Justice ruled that Hungary’s state subsidies for the expansion of its Paks nuclear power plant were incompatible with EU regulations, overturning the decision of the General Court and annulling the European Commission’s approval of Hungary’s state aid for the construction of two new nuclear reactors.
The court explained that before issuing its decision approving the aid, the European Commission was required not only to verify whether the initiative complied with the EU state aid regulation, but also to ensure that "he conclusion of the contract for the construction of two new reactors was in accordance with the EU public procurement regulation."