BUDAPEST, March 12. /TASS/. The first concrete can be poured into the foundation of the Paks 2 nuclear power plant in Hungary before the end of this year, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and External Economic Relations Peter Szijjarto told reporters after a meeting with Rosatom General Director Alexey Likhachev in Budapest. He noted that work to strengthen the soil in the pit under the fifth and sixth power units of the plant will be completed by the end of the year.
"And then we will be able to pour the first concrete," the Foreign Minister said.
He stressed that pouring the first concrete is considered the cornerstone in construction of a nuclear power plant.
Szijjarto also noted that the enterprises of Rosatom have already manufactured a melt trap for the reactor of the fifth power unit of the Paks plant. This 700-ton structure, which is a giant tray under the reactor vessel, is designed to ensure the safety of the nuclear power plant and prevent the spread of radiation in the event of an accident.
"The creation of another key component - the reactor vessel - will start in April," he said.
The Hungarian Foreign Minister said that work to strengthen the soil is being carried out on an area of 17 hectares, which requires installation of 75,000 piles in the ground, of which 8,000 have already been installed. The German contractor is to complete this work by the summer of 2025.
The commissioning of two new power units in Paks, planned for the early 2030s, will bring the share of nuclear energy in the country's energy balance to 70%. With the development of solar energy capacity, Hungary expects to be closer to being self-sufficient in its energy needs. However, natural gas imports will decrease by 3-3.5 billion cubic meters per year.
About Paks project
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.