Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and General Director of Russian state-owned nuclear energy company Rosatom Alexey Likhachev discussed the construction of new units at Hungarian nuclear power plant Paks.
The negotiations also involved Deputy Director of Rosatom Kirill Komarov and Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto, who had previously met with the Russian delegation and stated that preparatory work for the construction of the new units would begin soon. Szijjarto said that work on the slurry wall, which is extremely important for the safe operation of the reactors, will start in early July. The excavation and consolidation of the soil will also begin, and once this has been successfully completed, the so-called first concrete, which is a strategic element of the project, will be laid in the ground.
Earlier, Likhachev said that the construction of the first foundation for the new units is planned for the autumn of 2023.
In March, Minister Szijjarto assured Russian Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Novak that Hungary would continue to block Russia-related sanctions against nuclear energy, while Novak replied that oil and gas deliveries from Russia to Hungary would continue uninterrupted, regardless of sanctions.
In January 2014, Hungarian Government has signed deal with Russia`s Rosatom, with a goal to increase output of the power plant, from current 2,000 MW to 4,400 MW by adding two more reactors. Under the agreement, Russia will provide 10 billion euros loan for the construction of new unit in existing NPP, which is around 80 % of estimated construction cost. According to initial plan, first unit was supposed to become operational in 2023. The latest estimates put the start of production at new units in 2029-2030.
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Tags: electricity, financial, Fitch, gas, Mol, NPP, oil, Paks, Projects, Rosatom