Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó informed that with groundwork underway at the site of the planned sixth unit at the Paks nuclear power plant, a new project milestone has been reached.
The foreign minister said initial groundwork is taking place at a depth of five metres, noting that this stage of the process for block number five was already complete.
Some sections of the sixth block will be up to 23 metres deep to ensure the block’s stability and safety, explained the minister adding that about 30-40 trucks are being used to carry the soil excavated from the site, which will total as much as one million cubic metres.
The minister informed that the construction of the groundwater cut-off – an underground waterproof wall that will control the flow of groundwater into and out of the Paks II construction pit, once excavated – is also underway and about 700 metres of the wall had now been completed.
The minister noted that work on the reactor storage space is also underway in Russia and confirmed that the target of completing the project by 2030 remains realistic.
The expansion of the Paks power plant is vital for Hungary’s long-term energy security, the minister underlined, adding that the new blocks will allow Hungary to produce around 70 per cent of the electricity it consumes.
“Hungary’s national interest is clear: nuclear energy’s share in the energy mix must be increased. The obvious solution to this is the construction of two new blocks, which will increase our nuclear power generation capacity from 2000 to 4400 megawatts,” concluded the minister.