The Paks 2 nuclear power plant has now received planning permission from the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority. This means that the actual construction phase by the Russian company Rosatom can begin in the coming weeks and the two new blocks can be put into operation by 2030.
The contract to build the two new reactors between Hungary and Rosatom was signed in 2014. According to that, the piles should have an output of 1,200 megawatts each. Russia is funding the better part of the project through a €10 billion loan to Hungary.
The application for approval, which is over 400,000 pages long, was scrutinized by Hungarian and international experts for two years before it was given the green light. This is supplemented by approvals from the fire protection, civil protection, environmental and mining authorities.
The commission of the two new units by 2030 will ensure the long-term security of the country’s energy supply and protect the population from extreme price fluctuations on the international energy market.