A stage falling silent during a concert, an auditorium enveloped in darkness and the Lake Balaton Highlands without lights were also modelled by members of the band Cloud 9+, which combines energetic electronic and live music in a special way, at the virtual control centre of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant during the Valley of Arts Festival. After the VOLT and EFOTT festivals, Ivan & The Parazol and Hooligans, at the third stop of the festival tour of the travelling exhibition this year, Zsolt Szivák and Márk Koller, singer and drummer of Cloud 9+, respectively, took control of the simulator of the nuclear power plant, which accounts for more than half the electricity generated in Hungary. At the exhibition, the musicians modelled how Budapest or just the Lake Balaton Highlands would plunge into darkness during a packed concert as a result of the reduction of power generation by the nuclear power plant.

After making a debut this year at VOLT, then also appearing at EFOTT with great success and in the Valley of Arts, the Interactive Lorry bearing the logo ‘Energy for Our Future’ will bring nuclear energy closer to festival fans at the Debrecen Flower Carnival, the Szerencs Chocolate Festival, the Szeged Youth Days and the Nyíregyháza Vidor Festival.

‘The nuclear power plant is key to generating large quantities of electricity without pollutant emissions steadily and safely; this is indicated by the fact that the oxygen saved by the four Paks units meets the oxygen demand of one-fifth of the population of Hungary,’ said György Felkai, Communications Director of the MVM Group. ‘The goal of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant is to “bring” nuclear power plant technology – which is outstandingly safe even in international comparison and will determine the future and the competitiveness of the country for decades – to the “homes” of as many young people and families as possible. Every member of the population of the country needs affordable electricity reliably produced by the nuclear power plant. This is why it has been and will be necessary to extend the design life of the Paks units by 20 years and to continue their operation with a continuously high level of public support, and to ensure that the new nuclear power plant units strengthen the energy security and competitiveness of Hungary.’

‘The beat of electronic music and drum & bass, and the energy emanating from them, are not worth much if the technical equipment stops working during a packed concert,’ said Zsolt Szivák, singer of the band. ‘It’s to no avail to have a tuned guitar and a well assembled base if nobody hears it and thus only the first rows could hear the message of our music even at the concerts,’ he added. ‘We are especially glad that this exhibition brings nuclear energy closer to young people and families, while it tries to answer countless questions arising in everybody.’

The interactive exhibition has been touring festivals for the fourth year and the country since 2009; with its help, more than 200,000 people in total could already become familiar with the operation of nuclear power plants and the reason why it is important to maintain the capacity of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant from the point of view of the energy supply and economy of the country. The exhibition includes all operational nuclear power plants in the world, the most important moments of the history of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, which has been operating safely for 30 years, the Hungarian electricity grid, as well as the colourful flora and fauna of Paks and its environs. Technical questions are answered by those who are the most competent – experienced specialists of the nuclear power plant.

Every year, the exhibition is visited by renowned guests; Ivan & The Parazol and the Hooligans rock band tried their hand at controlling the nuclear power plant recently at the VOLT Festival and at EFOTT, respectively.

In previous years, artists committed to environmental protection such as the singer Ákos and the musicians of Irie Maffia and Balkan Fanatik as well as Random Trip tested the control console.