Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs & Trade Péter Szijjártó said in a post on Facebook that another delivery of fuel rods from Russia for the Paks NPP have been delivered by ship to Bulgaria, then put on a train that travelled through Romania to Hungary. Fuel was previously delivered by rail via Ukraine, before the start of the special military operation and then by air. However, the air route over the northern part of Central Europe is now impossible, making an "entirely new route" necessary, Szijjártó said.
The Paks NPP comprises four Soviet-built VVER-440 reactors built between 1982 and 1987. Their 30-year operating period was extended by 20 years between 2012 and 2017, and a further 20-year extension is now being considered. The plant accounts for about half of electricity generation in Hungary.
Szijjártó stressed the growing importance of Hungary’s being able to produce a large portion of the electricity it uses. “The safe, predictable operation of the power plant is therefore crucial to our energy security. This requires nuclear heating material which is imported from Russia.” He noted that the new delivery of fuel had already been loaded into the Paks reactors. “With this, there is enough stock available in Paks for safe operation for the next long months,” he said.
Image: Hungary has taken another delivery of fuel rods for the Paks nuclear power plant
