MOSCOW, February 6. /TASS/. The successful upgrade and expansion of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant in Hungary, with the participation of the Rosatom state corporation, will provide Hungarian consumers with low-tariff electricity and increase the nuclear industry's contribution to the country's energy balance to 70%, the Russian Foreign Ministry reported.
The ministry recalled that a ceremony marking the first concrete pouring for the foundation of the fifth power unit of the nuclear power plant took place on February 5. This symbolizes the formal start of the main phase of construction of the plant, which, according to the IAEA classification, is now considered a nuclear power plant under construction.
The ministry stressed that the project remains one of the most important symbols of Russian-Hungarian economic cooperation and, in addition to low tariffs for consumers, will allow Hungary to become one of the energy leaders in the European Union
About Paks II NPP project
The first concrete pouring is considered a milestone in the nuclear power plant construction process. In accordance with IAEA standards, after the pouring of the first concrete, the facility is officially designated a "nuclear power plant under construction." This marks the transition from preparatory work to the main construction phase.
According to Rosatom representatives, the Paks-2 NPP will now become the largest nuclear construction project and the largest Russian project in Europe. Its general contractor is JSC Atomstroyexport.
The Paks Nuclear Power Plant, which uses Russian nuclear fuel, currently supplies 45% of the electricity generated and 36% of the electricity consumed in Hungary. Units 5 and 6 are scheduled to be connected to the grid in the early 2030s. After that, the capacity of the Paks nuclear complex, located on the Danube River 100 kilometers south of Budapest, will increase from the current 2,000 megawatts to 4,400 megawatts. Nuclear power will account for 70% of Hungary's national energy mix.