Construction of the Nuclear Power Plant Operator Training Centre under way

6/1/26 2:32 PM
Construction is progressing on the 15,000-square-metre Training Centre, where the operators of the new nuclear power plant will be trained.

The Training Centre will serve as the facility for both theoretical and practical training of the operating staff of Paks II Nuclear Power Plant across all disciplines. Field operators, control room- and key personnel, as well as refuelling machine operators and maintenance staff, will acquire the theoretical and practical skills required for their work here.

The six-storey building will have a total usable floor area of 15,000 square metres. It will accommodate classrooms for training operating personnel, as well as simulators, including a full-scope simulator, an analytical simulator and a refuelling machine simulator.

Preparatory work for the foundations of the Training Centre is currently under way. By the end of the year, the structural works carried out by a consortium of Hungarian companies are expected to reach ground level. According to the schedule, the building will reach its structural completion by August 2027, and one year later the technical handover process and installation of the simulators — the manufacture of which has already begun — can be started.

At the centre, various simulators using realistic software and hardware will enable the safe modelling of both normal and abnormal operating processes, which is highly beneficial for the practical training of future staff. The full-scope simulator is a realistic replica of the main control room, while the analytical simulator supports skills development through touchscreen panels. The refuelling machine simulator is required because, unlike in the existing units, tasks related to fuel handling cannot be practised in the reactor hall during normal operation.