Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said the upgrade of the Paks nuclear plant is progressing apace, with the number of workers there at 900 and growing, the manufacturing of equipment with long production times under way.
Speaking in Istanbul on Wednesday, the foreign minister said that the construction was en route to conclude the two new blocks by the start of the next decade. Minister Szijjártó said ahead of a meeting with Alexey Likhachev, the head of general contractor Rosatom, that they would discuss the state of the works and the most important tasks of the period ahead, according to a statement from the foreign ministry. Szijjártó said that the group of Russian, western European, American and Hungarian companies working on the project raised hope that “at some point, everyone will return to common sense, once we’re over the political and ideological issues and the war psychosis.”
Currently, soil stabilisation is under way, a crucial step ahead of pouring concrete, which is expected to start “in a few months”, he said. Regarding the equipment with extremely long manufacturing times, the melt trap has been completed and is currently making its way up the Danube from Romania, he said. The 750-tonne equipment is expected to arrive within 2 weeks, he said. The government has secured the investment by achieving its exemption from European Union sanctions, he said: “the smooth flow of construction, engineering and financial completion” will flow without obstruction. Once operational, the Paks plant will supply some 70% of the country’s electricity demand, increasing its progressiveness, he said. It is also key to preserve the utility price caps, he said. Also, it will cut annual gas consumption by 3 billion cubic meters, and carbon dioxide emissions by 17 million tonnes, the minister added.