Another thirty-two students graduate from the Paks II Academy

2/8/23, 1:23 PM
A total of thirty-two students have successfully passed their final exams in the last few weeks in the Paks II Academy.
According to International Energy Agency’s Energy Technology Perspectives 2023 report, nuclear and renewables could displace most fossil fuel use by 2050 if the world remains on its pathway to stabilise global average temperatures at 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

In the report’s „net zero emissions (NZE) scenario”, the share of fossil fuels drops from almost 80% in 2021 to less than 20% in 2050. Nuclear power, which today makes up about 5% of global supply, doubles between 2021 and 2050 to 12%.

The report notes that despite the rapid recent growth in clean energy technologies, the world still relies mostly on fossil fuels for its energy supply.

The report says that among typical operating lifetimes of selected energy technologies, nuclear is well ahead at 60 years with hydropower second at 50 years and coal and biomass at 40 years. Solar, offshore wind and onshore wind facilities operate for about 25 years. Their construction time is significantly less though.

The IEA report confirms researches that suggests nuclear power has a minimal carbon footprint of around 15-50 grams of carbon-dioxide per kilowatt hour (gCO
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Three universities - the University of Dunaújváros, the University of Debrecen and the University of Miskolc - have successfully completed the third year of the Paks II Academy. This time, a total of 32 students successfully passed the final exams of the nuclear power plant operation engineer and technician courses.

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The Paks II Academy was established by Paks II Ltd. in cooperation with several Hungarian universities to promote the training of nuclear specialists.


The construction and operation of a nuclear power plant requires many well-trained professionals. In order to provide the necessary skilled personnel, Paks II Ltd. has set up various training programmes. One of these is the Paks II Academy, which provides those with specific Bsc diplomas with a two-semester course of basic knowledge of the technological processes of the nuclear power plant, the basics of nuclear safety, the safe operation of the nuclear power plant and the operational procedures. The courses are delivered in a wide range of collaborative activities, providing students with a highly practical knowledge of this segment of the energy industry.

Thanks to Paks II Ltd., the training is free of charge for the students up to a certain number per institution. In addition, the company also provides a professional background for the programme itself. 

Paks II. professionals acted as consultants to help the students write their theses. 


In the framework of the programme, the Budapest University of Technology and Economics, the University of Pécs and the University of Pannonia are currently running further training courses, while the University of Dunaújváros, the University of Miskolc and the University of Debrecen are planning to launch further cross-semester courses. One can apply at the institution of their choice.