Hungary chose Rosatom's cutting-edge technology for the construction of the Paks II nuclear power plant because it considers it the best in the world. This was stated by Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Economic Relations Péter Szijjártó.
He noted that “the Russians are world leaders in nuclear energy“. On February 5, Szijjártó attended the ceremony in Paks for pouring the first concrete for the foundations of the new nuclear power plant and said that the plant is being built using “super technologies, the best technology in the world“. He made this statement in an interview with RTL television.
“I don't think it is necessary to explain why Rosatom was chosen to develop the Paks II NPP project“, the minister added.
Currently, the Paks II NPP, operating on the banks of the Danube 100 km south of Budapest, provides 45% of the electricity produced and 36% of the electricity consumed in Hungary. At the same time, construction is underway on its second phase - the fifth and sixth power units - based on the Paks II project developed by Rosatom.
According to the plan, two new power units with VVER-1200 generation III+ reactors are planned to be connected to the grid in the early 2030s. After that, the capacity of the Paks II nuclear complex will increase from the current 2,000 megawatts to 4,400 megawatts. The share of nuclear energy in Hungary's national energy mix will reach 70%.
The Paks II nuclear power plant is planned to be connected to the Hungarian electricity grid in 2031-2032, according to the Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Economic Relations.
“By the beginning of the next decade, that is, by 2031-2032, this nuclear power plant should be connected to the national grid“, he said, noting that it usually takes 5 to 7 years from the start of construction of a nuclear power plant to its commissioning.
With his statement, Szijjártó confirmed that the original plans to connect the new plant to the grid remain unchanged, despite attempts to stop the project through sanctions. These sanctions were imposed by the US administration of Joe Biden but were lifted by the administration of Donald Trump. The EU sanctions against Russia also do not affect the Paks-2 project.
The minister noted that even now "there are people who are trying to block investments" in the construction of a new nuclear power plant in Hungary, designed by "Rosatom".