László Palkovics: Nuclear energy is essential for Hungary

6/29/21 8:13 AM
In Hungary it is impossible to achieve climate protection goals without nuclear energy, said László Palkovics in Paks.

In order to ensure the domestic energy supply, nuclear energy is essential, without it it’s not possible to achieve the set emission reduction targets, said Minister of Innovation and Technology László Palkovics, following a meeting with the minister responsible for the Paks II. project on Monday, 28 June 2021 in Paks. During the meeting, the two ministers held a tour at the nuclear power plant and the construction site of the new units, the Ministry of Innovation and Technology said in a statement sent to MTI.

In Hungary, per capita CO2 emissions are much lower than in Germany, which is considered to be vanguard of climate protection, it is largely due to the fact that the Paks Nuclear Power Plant produces a third of Hungary's electricity needs.

 

Therefore, the Energy Strategy adopted by the Hungarian government and the National Energy and Climate Plan also state that strengthening energy sovereignty and energy security, maintaining the results of overhead reductions and decarbonising energy production can only be achieved through the combined use of nuclear and renewable energy.

László Palkovics emphasized that Hungary, like several EU Member States already using or developing nuclear energy, was asking Brussels to shape its climate and energy policy in accordance with the principle of technology neutrality, in line with the European Commission's independent scientific advisory body, the Joint Research Center’s analysis.

The two units to be constructed in Paks are a guarantee that cheap, climate-friendly electricity will be available in the required amount from domestic sources in the coming decades as well.

 

If we produced the same amount of electricity in a conventional power plant as the two units would produce, it would emit 17 million tons of carbon dioxide a year into the atmosphere, János Süli pointed out.

By strengthening security of supply, the new Paks units (as a base power plant) will also help renewable energy sources to take an increasing share of domestic electricity production. A prime example of this is that not only the Paks II. construction work has started on the construction and erection base of the nuclear power plant, but one of the largest solar power plants in the country has also been built here, according to the ITM statement.