BUDAPEST, February 9. /TASS/. The two power units of Hungary’s Paks-2 Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), being built under a Rosatom design, are expected to be connected to Hungary’s power grid in 2031-2032, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said.

"By the beginning of the next decade, that is, by 2031-2032, this nuclear power plant must be connected to the national power grid," the foreign minister said in an interview with RTL television. He recalled that typically takes 5-7 years from the start of actual construction of a nuclear power plant to its commissioning.

On February 5, the first concrete was poured into the foundation of the Paks-2 NPP. In accordance with International Atomic Energy Agency standards, the facility is now officially considered "a nuclear power plant under construction." This marks the transition from the preparatory phase to the direct construction stage.

With his statement, Szijjarto confirmed that the original plans to connect the new plant to the grid remain unchanged, despite attempts to halt the project through sanctions. Such measures were introduced by the administration of US President Joe Biden but were later lifted by the administration of Donald Trump. EU sanctions against Russia also do not affect the Paks-2 project.

The minister noted that there are still "people who are trying to block investments" in the construction of the new nuclear power plant in Hungary under Rosatom’s design.