Hungary is expecting authorisation from the European Commission "in the next few weeks" for building two Russian nuclear reactors at the Paks-2 nuclear plant, announced a high-ranking Hungarian government official on the fringes of a conference organised by the world nuclear association in London on Friday 16 September. The official said that Budapest was awaiting two separate decisions – one on public procurement issues and one on state aid.
The Hungarian official said that the government was expecting a positive decision. Reuters reports that Energy Union Commissioner Maros Sefcovic recently said that negotiations were under way and close to conclusion.
In January 2014, Hungary and Russia signed an agreement to extend Hungary’s Paks nuclear power station, which provides 40% of the country’s electricity. The project, worth €12.5 billion (of which Russia is to finance 80% of construction costs through a loan of up to €10 billion) provides for the construction in 2018 of two 1,200 megawatt reactors, the first of which is due to come on-stream in 2023. (Original version in French by Emmanuel Hagry)