Szijjarto: Paks II shows nuclear cooperation could return ‘rationality’ to global politics

Szijjarto noted that the Russian general contractor for the Paks II project was working with German, French, American, Swiss and Austrian partners.

He said the two new reactors at the Paks nuclear power plant would raise the country’s share of nuclear to 70pc, while cutting gas consumption by 3bn cubic metres and reducing CO2 emissions by 17m tonnes.

He said 25,000 piles were already in the ground at the site of the Paks II investment, pit excavation was about to start, a thousand workers were on site and the first concrete would be poured by the end of the year. Meanwhile, he added that Hungary was working to extend the lifecycle of the existing four blocks at Paks.

Szijjarto said the nuclear sector could not isolate itself from risks in the “age of dangers”, pointing to the impact on nuclear power plants of the war in Ukraine.

He said the rapidly changing global economy had caused demand for electricity to rise exponentially, adding that nuclear power was the only source of energy that could meet that demand in a cheap, safe and environmentally friendly way. Without nuclear power, the fight against global warming won’t be successful and climate targets won’t be achieved, he said.

Representing the European Union at the meeting, Szijjarto said the EU had attached the “utmost importance” to nuclear safety and advanced a legally binding nuclear safety framework. He added that the development of small modular reactors demanded that the highest level of safety had to be ensured.

He affirmed the EU’s commitment to cooperation with the IAEA.

He called for the IAEA to play a stronger role to ensure the secure delivery of nuclear fuel, adding that no country could obstruct the right of another country over the supply of their own energy mix.