Hungary announced plans to replace Russian fuel with French at the Paks nuclear power plant

The Hungarian authorities intend to transfer the nuclear power plant in the city of Paks to French nuclear fuel instead of Russian, transmits Telex publication with reference to Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Orban spoke about such a plan, listing 15 government steps that he intends to implement by 2034. The prime minister announced his intention to achieve “energy self-sufficiency, which will include the operation of the Paks nuclear power plant on French fuel instead of Russian.”

At present, the nuclear power plant in the city of Paks, built according to Soviet technology on the banks of the Danube near Budapest, has four power units with VVER-440 reactors. The station generates about half of the country’s electricity production, providing about a third of consumption, and receives nuclear fuel from Russia.

At the end of August 2022, the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority issued a “Rosatom» permission to build power units No. 5 and No. 6 using Russian technologies. As a result of the construction of new units, the capacity of the Paks station will increase from the current 2,000 megawatts to 4,400 megawatts. In August of this year, Russia and Hungary signed documents on the transition to the stage of direct construction of the Paks-2 NPP.

In January, Orbán said that Hungary would impose veto on any initiatives of EU anti-Russian sanctions in the field of nuclear energy. If the European Union decides to include “Rosatominto the new sanctions package, then “obviously, a veto should be imposed,” he stressed.