Hungarian nuclear energy has been put on the world map – Péter Szijjártó made a statement to Magyar Építők in Paris

The importance of a fact-based approach to nuclear energy was emphasised by Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, in an interview with magyarepitok.hu at the World Nuclear Exhibition (WNE) in Paris. As we mentioned in our article on Tuesday, one of the biggest international events in the civil nuclear energy sector with around 1,000 active participants and 25,000 visitors over three days in the French capital.

This is why the international cooperation initiated by WNE is so important.

Our country was present for the first time at the summit, which covered the entire nuclear supply chain and featured 80 countries, with its own pavilion and numerous companies from the domestic energy sector. In addition, the Hungarian government was also represented: Péter Szijjártó attended the ministerial meeting, and after the opening of the Hungarian pavilion, he gave a statement to our newspaper.

The minister highlighted the significance of this major event in civil nuclear energy by pointing out that there are still many prejudices against nuclear energy, which hinders nuclear investments worldwide. „That is why it is important to have such a broad international coalition led by France,” he said, referring to the role of WME. „The aim of the coalition is to finally recognise that this energy is a cheap, safe, reliable and environmentally friendly way to generate large amounts of electricity.”

The Hungarian construction industry has received the most positive feedback to date on the Paks development.

In response to a question, he recalled that, according to the agreement, approximately 40 per cent of the Paks II investment must be carried out by Hungarian companies, and many Hungarian subcontractors are already working on the project. „Hungarian companies are involved in soil extraction, soil stabilisation work, and the construction of access and service buildings,” he said.

He emphasised that so far they have only heard positive feedback from the Russian main contractor, which is absolutely satisfied with the Hungarian subcontractors. „The same applies to the German subcontractors, who also employ Hungarian subcontractors: they spoke very positively about the participation of Hungarian companies. This is no surprise, because I believe that the Hungarian construction industry and the Hungarian nuclear industry are competitive worldwide. What's more, the best from both sectors are working on the Paks investment, so I was confident that the success of this project would not depend on the Hungarian construction industry players.”

At the same time as the Paris meeting, a decisive domestic development took place.

Based on feedback, the Paks II project received special attention at the Paris event. What is more, the Hungarian development was finally put on the world's nuclear energy map on the opening day of WNE: on 4 November, four key permits were issued for the start of construction work on the base plate of the nuclear island of Unit 5.

The first concrete pour, a symbolic step for the project, is expected to take place in February 2026. This will mean that the project will be classified as a nuclear power plant under construction according to the standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The participants in the Paks project also have something to be proud of

Speaking to our newspaper at the Paris World Expo, Gergely Jákli, who heads Paks II Zrt., also emphasised that the Hungarian investment is currently the most advanced nuclear power plant development project in the European Union. The Chairman and CEO explained that the entire global nuclear industry had gathered in Paris to present its achievements and exchange experiences. „At an event like this, it is very important that the Paks II project itself and the subcontractors involved in it are able to show what we are proud of in the recent period, how we are building our power plant, and how we will thus ensure the country's energy supply,” explained Gergely Jákli.

He pointed out that the main focus of the Paris World Expo is that the spread of digitalisation is also changing the way nuclear power plants are built. „We are proud to be digitalising the technical plans and the technical contract from a very early stage, as well as the construction of the nuclear power plant itself. So, in the coming days, my colleagues will be demonstrating how this digitalisation can simplify and speed up decision-making in nuclear power plant construction and assist in the construction process,” concluded the Chairman and CEO.