Hungary Plans To Abandon the Use of Russian Fuel for Its NPP
Hungary is planning to abandon the use of Russian fuel for its nuclear power plants, according to the country's Prime Minister, Viktor Orban.
It is reported by Bloomberg.
Orban unveiled a 15-point plan for strengthening Hungary, which includes efforts to replace Russian nuclear fuel with French fuel at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant. This move is part of a program that extends until 2034, and Orban shared this plan during a closed-door meeting with members of the Hungarian Civic Forum.
One of the points in the plan, as quoted by the publication, states, "Energy self-sufficiency, which will involve operating the Paks nuclear power plant with French fuel instead of Russian."
This decision is somewhat surprising, considering that The Gaze previously ranked Viktor Orban as the top among "11 Friends of Putin" due to his months-long blocking of the European Union's 11th package of sanctions against Russia. He had demanded the removal of provisions that affected Budapest's interests.
The Paks Nuclear Power Plant is Hungary's sole operating nuclear power station. It was built based on a Soviet design, with all four reactors being of the VVER-440 type. Plans include the construction of two VVER-1200 reactors. The plant is located approximately 100 kilometers from Budapest, near the town of Paks, and it provides over 50% of Hungary's electricity.
The construction of the first phase of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, which included the first two units, began in August 1974. The first unit was put into operation on October 10, 1983, and the second unit on November 14, 1984, with the final unit commissioned in November 1987. All four units at the station use Soviet-designed VVER-440-213 reactor units.
On December 8, 2014, Russia and Hungary signed agreements for the construction of the fifth and sixth units of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant using Russian VVER-1200 reactor technology. The project's cost is approximately $14.7 billion, or $7.35 billion per unit.
In March 2019, Hungary's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the completion of the permitting process for the construction of the nuclear power plant by the European Union. On June 20, 2019, construction and installation work began at the Paks-2 nuclear power plant site, with Hungary's state-owned company MVM Group as the contractor. In August 2022, Hungary issued a permit allowing Russia's Rosatom to build two new nuclear reactors. In July 2023, Hungary's Foreign Minister expressed expectations that Rosatom would complete the construction of the two new reactors at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant by 2030 and 2031. On August 18, 2023, a document was signed to move to the stage of direct construction, allowing for the production of essential power equipment. Construction of both units was planned to commence at the end of 2024.
As previously reported by The Gaze, Russia's Rosatom is the world's cheapest producer, supplying nearly a third of the enriched uranium needed for 92 reactors in the United States. Ten countries worldwide are entirely dependent on Russia for enriched uranium supplies.
In Europe, communal utilities that generate electricity for 100 million people also rely on the Russian corporation. Russia provides 20% of uranium to the EU, with an additional 23% coming from Kazakhstan, where Rosatom is the primary player in the nuclear energy market. The imposition of sanctions and the shift away from Russian uranium remain sensitive issues for the global nuclear industry.
It's worth noting that Kyiv has called on the West to impose sanctions on Russia's nuclear industry. Ukraine claims that through companies affiliated with Rosatom, Russia acquires technologies used in its military-industrial complex.