Hungary’s National Atomic Energy Office (OAH) has extended the lifespan of the Paks nuclear plant unit until December 31, 2034. Its four reactors produce more than 40 percent of the electrical power generated in the country.
The Paks nuclear plant is held and operated by MVM Paksi Atomerőmű, a unit of state-owned Hungarian electricity works MVM, which filed the request for the extension in November 2013. The lifespan of Block 1 was extended by 20 years in December 2012. The plant’s four blocks were put into operation between 1982 and 1987 with a planned lifespan of 30 years, and Paks wanted to add another 20 years to the lifespans of the reactors. The Paks nuclear power plant generated 15,370 GWh of electricity last year, accounting for 50.7% of national production and 36.4% of consumption.
Hungary signed an intergovernmental agreement with Russia on the construction of two new blocks at Paks in January 2014. Since that time the issue of the Paks upgrade has remained a rather controversial topic in domestic and international politics. According to the agreement the Paks Nuclear Power Plant will be expanded by the Russian state company Rosatom. Eighty percent of the project’s cost will be financed with a 10 billion Euro credit line from Russia. The construction will start in 2015 with two VVER-1200 reactors and will be complete in 2023. The new blocks are scheduled to start operation in 2025 it was confirmed from OAH to Serbia Energy.