The implementation license application for the expansion of Hungary's sole nuclear power plant has been submitted on Tuesday to the country's atomic energy authority.
The project company, Paks 2, applied for the construction of two new VVER-1200 type 3+ generation power units with a total installed capacity of 2,400 megawatts at the existing Paks Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) to the Hungarian Atomic Energy Authority (HAEA), according to a statement by the Russian State Atomic Energy Corporation Rosatom.
Hungary is planning to double the capacity of its sole nuclear power plant, constructing another two Russian-designed power units to add to the four Russian-designed, VVER-440 pressurized water reactors of 500 megawatts each already in place.
The plant located 100 kilometers south of the capital city of Budapest, was commissioned between 1982 and 1987, and already meets nearly half of the country's electricity demand.
The HAEA has 12 months to review the application, the statement said. However, it can be extended for an additional 3 months if needed.
The Hungarian nuclear authority will cooperate with foreign experts in the assessment of the license application through the International Atomic Energy Agency, according to the statement.
'Based on the decision of the European Commission, the application for authorization of earthworks may be submitted to the Hungarian nuclear authority three months after the current submission of the implementation license application,' the statement highlighted.
An intergovernmental agreement was signed between Hungary and Russia on Jan. 14, 2014, for the Paks 2 NPP, to house the two new VVER-1200 type power units.
The project's general contractor is ASE EC JSC, a subsidiary of Rosatom. GE will supply equipment for the turbine engine room, while a consortium of France's Framatome and Germany's Siemens will supply the instrumentation and control systems.
By Firdevs Yuksel
Anadolu Agency
energy@aa.com.tr