Hungary Paks nuclear plant plans to extend lifespan
Date: 05-Sep-02
Country: HUNGARY
The 1,500 megawatt plant, currently providing around 40 percent of Hungary's electricity demand, produced 14,126 gigawatt hours of electricity and made a pre-tax profits of 1.44 billion forints ($5.82 million) in 2001.
The nearly five billion forint capacity enhancement project can be started as soon as the plant's owner, the state-owned Hungarian Electricity Works (MVM), approves the plan later in the year, Deputy-CEO Gabor Vamos told a press conference.
Increasing the lifespan of the plant's four blocks would cost nearly 100 billion forints, otherwise the plant will have to be gradually shut down between 2012 and 2017 when its original lifespan expires, Vamos added.
The Paks plant, located 100 kilometres (62 miles) south of Budapest by the Danube river, uses up nearly 400 fuel rods a year. As its own temporary nuclear disposal facility will be full by 2008, the plant is to expand this storage facility and will also create a permanent disposal site at Bataapati, southern Hungary.
The construction of the permanent disposal site will cost a total of 35-40 billion forints, said Laszlo Marothy, managing director of the radioactive waste handling firm RHK.
If parliament and the surrounding villages give the green light to the project, it will be completed by 2008, he added.
