Steven N.
Prime Minister Viktor Orbán welcomed Alexey Likhachev, Director General of the Russian state nuclear energy group ROSATOM, at the Carmelite Monastery, said Bertalan Havasi, press aide from the Prime Minister’s Office, to state news agency MTI. The meeting was attended by Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and János Süli, minister responsible for the Paks II expansion project.
The participants agreed that the two new units under construction at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant by the Russian concern will ensure that cheap, climate-friendly electricity will be available from domestic sources in the coming decades.
At a time when Europe is facing a utility crisis, it is especially important that nuclear energy play an important role not only in guaranteeing supply but also in creating price stability and maintaining Hungary’s utility price cuts, they stated.
It was also discussed at the meeting that more and more EU countries are recognizing that, in addition to renewable energy sources, nuclear energy needs to play an important part in long-term plans to protect against the worst effects of climate change.
The Hungarian and Russian sides also reviewed the status of Paks II. The participants are working to ensure that the investment project is being carried out in accordance with the strictest Hungarian and international regulations and safety requirements, and are hoping to inaugurate the two new units in Paks in 2029 and 2030, the press chief said.
