PAKS /Hungary/, February 5. /TASS/. Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Economic Relations Peter Szijjarto called the construction of Europe's largest nuclear power plant, Paks II a flagship of nuclear revival of the European continent.
"It is the flagship of the nuclear revival of the European continent," the foreign minister said speaking at the ceremony of the first concrete pouring at Paks.
Szijjarto noted that "today, Paks-2 is the largest and most advanced nuclear power plant construction project in Europe." He reiterated that the Paks II project's implementation is currently unimpeded by any Western sanctions imposed against Russia, although attempts to obstruct it have not ceased.
"We will not let it happen. We agreed with US President Donald Trump to exempt Paks II from the sanctions imposed by the previous US administration. We have prevented and will continue to prevent the EU from imposing sanctions against the [Russian] nuclear industry in Brussels," the minister assured.
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 (Rosatom's engineering division).
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.