Paks II. Ltd. submitted the license application for the construction of the reactor vessels to the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority – announced Mr. János Süli, the minister responsible for the Paks II. project before the 16 November session of the Parliament’s Sustainable development committee.

The submission of the documentation is another major milestone in the project’s life. János Süli added: the reactor vessel will be manufactured in Volgodonsk, Russia, as a result of a 36 months long work, with the continous supervision of Russian and Hungarian experts. Further information about the construction and production of the VVER-1200 reactor vessel can be found in the video below.

At the committee hearing, the minister responsible for construction of the two new NPP units also reported that in the construction and erection base of Paks II. NPP work is being carried out in parallel at several sites: a total of 18 buildings or structures are being built continuously in five complexes. A concrete plant, a complex of steel and rebar assembly plants, several administrative and service buildings, a complex of anti-corrosion works and a Contractor’s warehouse will also be built. In the area of the future units, the site preparation is already underway, the project has a valid building license for the works of the cut-off wall and soil reinforcement tests, as well as for the excavation of the soil above the minus five meters level. In addition, the Power Plant Investment Center was completed in the summer, where the employees of Paks II. Ltd.already work since September.

The minister also mentioned at the meeting that the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority deemed the implementation license application thorough. The new tasks identified in the rectification have been studied and can be fulfilled in all respects, so there is no obstacle to the project obtaining the implementation license by submitting the necessary additional documentation. János Süli remarked that both the authority and the licensee have excellent, internationally recognized professionals, therefore the license will be a well-founded document at the end of this procedure.

János Süli drew the committee's attention to the fact that the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, had recently spoken in favor of using nuclear energy, saying that it was the reliable source of energy that the European Union needed. The minister recalled that it was also said at the COP26 conference in Glasgow that more than a quarter of the world’s clean electricity production is provided by nuclear energy. He noted that while energy efficiency, energy saving and renewable energy production have never received so much attention, Western society is forced to experience a phenomenon such as the restriction of electricity supply, which has not been experienced for a long time. Hungary agrees with the principle of energy saving and efficiency, the importance of the utilization of renewable sources, and its firm position is to provide stable and affordable electricity for the Hungarian population and economy in the long run with the help of nuclear energy, keeping in mind the climate targets set for 2050.