BUDAPEST, October 28. /TASS/. The French company Framatome will start supplying fuel rods to the Hungarian Paks NPP from 2027, according to a contract Framatome CEO Bernard Fontana and CEO of the NPP operator Janos Peter Horvath signed in the presence of Hungarian Energy Minister Csaba Lantos.
Speaking at a press conference in Budapest, Minister of State for Energy and Climate Policy, Attila Steiner, called the conclusion of this agreement "an important step in terms of security of fuel supply for the Paks NPP." He recalled that the plant plays an important role in the country's energy balance and that the government intends to extend its operation for another 20 years. In turn, Fontana assured that Framatome is ready to participate in the diversification of fuel supplies to the NPP in the long term.
Signing a contract with the French company does not mean abandoning the use of Russian nuclear fuel at the Paks NPP. The division of the Hungarian energy corporation MVM, which manages the plant, and Rosatom will continue long-term cooperation.
Until 2022, nuclear fuel was delivered to Paks from Russia by rail through the territory of Ukraine, but after the start of the armed conflict in this country, the route had to be changed. Now the special cargo is transported by ship across the Black Sea under the protection of military ships to the Bulgarian port of Varna, where it is loaded onto a train and then transported through Bulgaria and Romania to Hungary. As a rule, nuclear power plants create a fuel reserve for at least two years in advance.
The possibility of using alternative nuclear fuel at the Paks NPP instead of Russian is enshrined in law in Hungary. In late 2023, the parliament supported the relevant amendment to the nuclear energy strategy proposed by the government. The Cabinet noted that given the ongoing attempts by the European Union to impose sanctions against Rosatom, Budapest needed to take precautions and provide options for replacing Russian fuel. The current service life of the four power units of the NPP, built by Soviet specialists 40 years ago, was supposed to end in 2032-2037, but it is assumed that they will operate until at least 2052-2057. Meanwhile, the second stage of the Paks NPP is being built in Paks (Paks-2).