"Paks" - NPP in Hungary (photo)

The energy security of any power is ensured by the uninterrupted and reliable operation of various power plants. These objects are focused not only on specialized technical personnel, but also on the country's top leadership, since both the economic and social level of the state's development depends on the normal functioning of electric power sources, as well as its safe existence. In this article, we will get acquainted with Paks, a nuclear power plant located in Hungary.

general information

First of all, we must note that this station is the only one that is still working on the Magyar land. Paks (nuclear power plant) Removed from the capital of the country by 100 kilometers and only 5 km from the city of the same name, whose population is about twenty thousand people. The industrial giant was built according to the design of Soviet engineers, and all of its functioning reactors are completely of the same type - VVER-440.

Historical reference

Paks (nuclear power plant) Began its "life" in the quite far from us in August 1974. It was then that the builders began to erect the first stage, which included two energy blocks. After nine years - in October 1983 - the first unit started its work, and a second block was launched a year later.

Construction of the second stage started in 1979, and already in 1986, the unit was put into operation at number three. November 1987 was marked by the connection to the network block number 4.

In general, it will be correct to say that Paks (nuclear power plant) Was the construction site, which was attended by more than 110 different organizations and enterprises. And all of them were international. Leading specialists from countries such as: Germany, Poland, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Hungary were involved in the delivery of equipment, construction work, a huge amount of commissioning and installation supervision. Thanks to the efforts of all the involved professionals, according to IAEA estimates, the Paks nuclear power plant is recognized as one of the best stations of this type in the whole European continent.

Technical indicators

Paks NPP (Hungary) For the time being, it has four power units, each with a capacity of 500 MW. The amount of electric energy produced by this station is about 40% of the total volume in the country.

Each of the blocks consists of such basic units:

• Water-water power reactor, which operates on thermal neutrons.
• Six steam generators producing up to 450 tons per hour of saturated, dry steam at a pressure of 4.7 MPa.
• Six pumps are circulating, the main task of which is to ensure the continuous movement of the coolant.
• Twelve indigenous shut-off valves, which cut off the loop if necessary.
• Two turbo-units directly transforming the energy of heat into electricity.

Reconstruction and modernization

At the end of 2014, between the state corporation Rosatom and the Paks nuclear power plant in Hungary A contract was signed for the construction and introduction of new blocks. According to the information provided, the total amount of planned investments in this event will be no more than 12.5 billion euros. A few months before the document was issued, an agreement was signed between Russia and Hungary, on the basis of which Russia pledged 10 billion euros for the completion of the station as a loan. The construction of power units No. 5 and No. 6 will begin in 2018. According to the plan, the fifth block will have to be commissioned in 2023, and the sixth one - two years later. The capacity of each of the new energy sources will be 1200 MW.

Deal Details

So, Hungary received the loan must begin to return six months after the introduction of the blocks in operation. Completely pay off the loan is needed after 21 years. In this case, the first eleven years of payment of the loan rate will not exceed 4%. After that, there will be two increases: first up to 4.5%, and later - up to 4.9%.

Transition to a 15-month duty cycle

At the end of 2015, Hungary's nuclear inspectorate granted permission for the described station to use fuel, the level of enrichment of which is already 4.7%, and not 4.2%, as it was before. Thanks to this, all four units of the power company will operate in a new cycle, equal to 15 months.

Emergency incidents

Obviously, there is no need to further explain how dangerous the Paks nuclear power plant is. The accident on it, unfortunately, was nevertheless inevitable. On April 10, 2003, at the time of the planned repair and restoration works, an incident occurred on the second block, which eventually required more than three years to eliminate the consequences. The essence of the incident was reduced to the fact that the shell of the fuel assemblies was damaged during the course of their chemical purification in a specially assembled tank. The work was carried out taking into account the developed technology of AREVA. Fortunately, outside the limits of the industrial zone of the station, the excess of the allowable pollution value was not recorded. On the basis of the international scale of nuclear events, the incident was given a third level.

Disputes and discussions

Project "NPP Paks-2" Became a rather serious stumbling block between the European Union and the Hungarian government. As previously reported by the press, the European Commission conducted an in-depth investigation of the state support project for the reliable provision of construction of the two newest units at the station. As the minister of the Hungarian government Janos Lazar finally stated, all the questions and details on this issue were settled and the obstacles were overcome. According to him, Hungary has taken into account the remarks of its European partners and is doing everything to ensure that the interests of all parties involved in the project are taken into account as much as possible.

By the way, Hungarian experts in the field of ecology also tried in every possible way to prevent the implementation of the agreement on the construction of modern blocks. In their opinion, the planned introduction of high capacities will have an extremely negative impact on the country's economy, since the electricity produced in this way will be too expensive and significantly increase Hungary's dependence on the Russian Federation, thereby undermining sovereignty.

Scandal

State Secretary of Hungary Zoltan Kovac said that the information published by the British newspaper Financial Times about the alleged EU blockade of the contract between Russia and Hungary on the construction of new units at the Paks nuclear power plant, Is incorrect and does not correspond to the real state of affairs. Moreover, this civil servant demanded that the said popular print edition of the Foggy Albion should publish a refutation.

Additional evidence of how closely all attention is focused on the Paks nuclear power plant, the photo of which is posted in the article, can be the bold stealing of the laptop of the station director. This portable personal computer contained secret corporate information concerning the planned modernization of the nuclear facility. The head of the company lost his digital assistant when he went to a business meeting in the center of Budapest and left the car for a while, leaving inside his personal belongings.

Also, the degree of the value of the contract for the construction of the blocks for Hungary can also be assessed on the basis of this criterion: the parliament of the state voted by majority to recognize as confidential some moments of the deal with Russia to erect a new pair of blocks for thirty years. According to parliamentarians, this step was dictated with a view to ensuring reliable protection of the national interests and the security of the country.

Experience exchange

In the summer of 2015, the members of the governmental delegation headed by the director of the nuclear power enterprise Paks have visited the Atomexpo Moscow forum, or more specifically the stand of the Belarusian nuclear power plant . Such a visit was quite understandable, because the construction of the object in Belarus is similar to that planned in Hungary.