Russia’s Rosatom reassures Hungary of Paks nuclear plant

Russia’s state-owned Rosatom company has assured Budapest that it remains in a position to build the planned new parts of the Paks nuclear power plant, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Siarto told Reuters today.

It is recalled that the Finnish consortium Fennovoima had announced on Monday that it had terminated its own contract with Rosatom for the construction of a nuclear power plant in Finland, citing delays and increased risks due to the war in Ukraine.

For its part, Hungary, which is heavily dependent on Russian gas and oil and has said it will not support the EU proposal to impose an embargo on Russian crude imports, has given no indication that it will abandon its nuclear program. station with Rosatom, although it has been delayed for years.

Following a meeting with Rosatom’s CEO in Istanbul, Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Siarto said in a statement that the planned construction of the two new units in Paks was in Hungary’s strategic interests.

Siarto also said that the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority was considering applications for licenses submitted by Rosatom and that once the project was approved it could enter its next phase.

Hungary wants to expand the Russian-made Paks nuclear power plant (2 gigawatts) with two Russian-made VVER reactors, each with a capacity of 1.2 gigawatts.

The project, which was awarded Rosatom in 2014 without a tender, is often cited as an indication of the close ties between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

According to Reuters, the project has been faced with serious delays.

Finally, it is noted that nuclear energy is not subject to European Union sanctions.

Source: Capital

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