MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 13th September, 2022) Western partners and Hungarian contractors have confirmed their readiness to continue cooperation on the construction of the Paks II nuclear power plant (NPP) in Hungary regardless of sanctions, Alexander Merten, a senior executive at Rosatom subsidiary ASE JSC, told Sputnik.
"The sanctions have not targeted the nuclear energy sector and Russian companies which specialize in this field. It is important to point out that our Western partners such as the GE-Alstom turboelectric equipment supplier and the consortium of the Siemens and Framatome automation and construction companies as well as may others Hungarian contractors have confirmed their readiness to jointly develop the project," Merten said.
In late August, the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority (HAEA) issued a number of permits for the construction of the fifth and sixth units of the NPP.
Hungary's only nuclear power plant, Paks, generates almost half of all electricity in Hungary, with the share expected to double after the planned commissioning of two new NPP's reactor units. The Hungarian leadership has repeatedly emphasized that nuclear energy is a way to ensure the country's energy security.
In late 2014, Russia and Hungary signed an agreement on the construction of two additional advanced reactors. The sides agreed that Russia would allocate 10 billion Euros ($10.1 billion) in a loan to finance the construction of the units.
