Hungary Adding New VVER-1200 Nuclear Reactors in First for EU
Hungary’s nuclear energy agency has issued a license for construction of two reactors for Paks II, a power generation project first launched in early 2014 as part of an inter-governmental agreement between Hungary and Russia. Officials said Paks II would be the first nuclear plant in the European Union to use Rosatom’s Generation III+ VVER-1200 reactor technology.
The Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority (OAH) on Aug. 26 signified its support for construction and issued an implementation license, saying after its review of the project’s design that Paks II complies with both Hungarian and European safety standards. The contract to build the nuclear power plant (NPP) is supported by a Russian state loan, which is financing most of the construction of the $ 12-billion facility. Rosatom is Russia’s state-owned nuclear energy corporation.
Péter Szijjártó, Hungary’s minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said, “Today, the Paks II NPP project is taking another leap forward. The construction license confirms that the project complies with the international and Hungarian safety requirements.…