It was not the first time that a rock band has occupied the virtual control console of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant. At the VOLT Festival this year, after control by the band Ivan & The Parazol, members of one of the key bands in Hungarian musical life for several decades, the Hooligans, could try out the nuclear power plant simulator at the EFOTT Festival, and thus see what would happen if the output of the power plant, which accounts for half the electricity generated in Hungary, were reduced. Without electricity and lighting, the night in Miskolctapolca would not be the same either, but the members of the band could also experience how the whole of northern Hungary would plunge into darkness and how the price of electricity as well as the pollutant emissions of the whole electricity system would increase if the nuclear power plant operated at a much lower output than today. After trying out the simulator, the guys suddenly also realised that they could not generate an amount of energy on the power-generating bike that would be sufficient just for the light and sound effects of a number with a strong beat.

‘The nuclear power plant is not the only electricity generation method that is free from carbon dioxide emissions, however, only the four Paks units are able to save the oxygen demand of the residents of a city the size of Budapest every year,’ said György Felkai, Communications Director of the MVM Group. ‘As opposed to wind and solar energy, the nuclear power plant is able to generate electricity in considerable amounts, on an industrial scale, in an environment-friendly way, safely and at an affordable price. By not emitting greenhouse gases, the Paks Nuclear Power Plant saves the annual oxygen output of forests in Hungary. We trust that the well-known artists committed to environmental protection who visit the interactive exhibition will also inspire festival-goers to visit the lorry of the nuclear power plant and become familiar with this technology – which is outstandingly safe even in international comparison – and all its advantages.’

The combination of reliability and a continuously high level of public support allows the Paks Nuclear Power Plant to operate its existing units 20 years beyond their design life and the new units to strengthen the energy security of Hungary on the Paks site.

‘Rock music is pure energy,’ said Tibor ‘Csipa’ Ördög, leader of the band Hooligans. ‘We don’t even think about the fact that a huge amount of electricity is required for just one concert. It was interesting to see how the price of electricity would increase with the reduction of the output of the Paks facility, which could also appear in the costs of festivals. We trust that as many young people as possible will visit the exhibition and become more closely familiar with nuclear energy.’

Besides celebrities, every festival-goer can try out in the virtual control centre of the nuclear power plant between two concerts or cultural events what it would be like if cities, towns, counties or even the whole country plunged into darkness after a few buttons have been pressed. The Interactive Lorry bearing the logo ‘Energy for Our Future’ can be visited throughout the EFOTT Festival, and visitors can also encounter the exhibition afterwards during the Szeged Youth Days, in the Valley of Arts in Kapolcs, and at the Debrecen Flower Carnival, the Szerencs Chocolate Festival and the Nyíregyháza Vidor Festival.

The exhibition touring the country is bringing nuclear energy to homes for the sixth year. So far more than 200,000 people have been able to familiarise themselves with the operation of nuclear power plants and could experience that the capacity maintenance of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant is indispensable from the point of view of the energy supply and economy of the country. Hence, an electrical capacity that will operate without pollutant emissions for at least 60 years, while supplying Hungary with electricity at an affordable price, may be built.

Visitors to the truck can become familiar with all operational nuclear power plants in the world, the history of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, which has been safely operating for three decades, the Hungarian electricity grid, as well as the colourful flora and fauna of Paks and its environs. Like the celebrities, visitors of a more sporting disposition can also take a turn on the power-generating bike, and if they have questions still left after that, experienced specialists of the nuclear power plant will be pleased to answer them.