MOSCOW, December 2. /TASS/. Russian nuclear fuel producer TVEL will continue supplying nuclear fuel to the Hungarian Paks nuclear power plant until December 31, 2034, TVEL said on Tuesday.

This became possible after Hungary’s agency for nuclear power issued a license to prolong operations of the nuclear plant’s second unit.

Starting 2015, nuclear plant’s units with 4.2% enriched nuclear fuel will be gradually switched to 4.7% enriched nuclear fuel, which will increase the fuel cycle of nuclear units to 15 months from 12 months. The switch to higher enriched nuclear fuel will also allow increasing electric power output at the plant and reducing cost of expenditures on planned repairs of the units.

Paks is Hungary’s sole nuclear power plant with four VVER-440 reactors. Its first unit was launched in 1982. Electric power produced at the nuclear plant currently accounts for around 50% of the country’s nuclear power output.

TVEL, part of nuclear power corporation Rosatom, has been supplying nuclear fuel to the Paks plant under a contract concluded in 1999.