Paks-2 nuke plant licence submitted to Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority

The construction licence application for building two new VVER-1200 3+ generation nuclear power plant units at the Paks II Nuclear Power Plant in Hungary was submitted to the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority (HAEA) on June 30, Russia’s state nuclear power corporation Rosatom said in a press release.

“Submission of the 283,000 pages license documentation is so far the biggest milestone in the construction of the new units,” said János Süli, minister without portfolio in charge of the design, construction and commissioning of the two new units of the Paks Nuclear Power Plant. “The prepared documentation is proof that the new units planned in Paks are in conformity with Hungarian and European rules and safety requirements in all respects. Safety was of key importance in the design of the Paks II Nuclear Power Plant. In addition to the active safety systems requiring energy supply, the new units will also be equipped with passive safety systems capable of performing functions without human or technical intervention,” Süli added.

Paks II Nuclear Power Plant is built on the basis of the Russian-Hungarian intergovernmental agreement signed on January 14, 2014, by the general contractor ASE Group, a subsidiary of Rosatom.

The HAEA has 12 months to review the implementation license application, which it may extend by 3 months. The Hungarian nuclear authority will also cooperate with foreign experts in the assessment of the implementation license application through the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

Based on the decision of the European Commission, the application for authorisation of earthworks may be submitted to the Hungarian nuclear authority three months after the current submission of the implementation license application, the press release read.

Rosatom Director General Alexey Likhachev hailed the application as a very important stage in preparing the construction of the Paks II Nuclear Power Plant, noting that a modern 3+ generation nuclear power plant was successfully completed. “We have done an enormous amount of work in preparing the application documentation with our Hungarian partners. Construction of the new Hungarian nuclear power plant units confirms the growing role of nuclear energy in carbon-free energy production and fulfilment of the climate protection targets,” Likhachev said.

The two VVER-1200 type units are implemented within the framework of international cooperation. Equipment of the turbine engine room is supplied by GE, while instrumentation and control are supplied by the consortium of Framatome of France and Siemens of Germany.