Hungary and Romania are launching professional and political cooperation on extending the operating life of Hungary’s Paks NPP and Romania’s Cernavoda NPP in order to complete the process as quickly as possible, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó, said during a trip to Romania.
Following his talks in in Bucharest, Szijjártó said in a Facebook post that there is no question that Romania is our strategic partner in the field of energy security. “Good Hungarian-Romanian relations are a serious resource for both countries, and since this has been recognised on both sides, we are constantly working on developing relations,” he noted.
“Romania became the second most significant export market of the Hungarian economy, our exports broke a record last year. Two weeks ago, we increased the capacity of the natural gas interconnectors that connect our wiring systems to 2.7bn cubic metres in both directions, in order to contribute to each other’s energy security more efficiently than ever before.”
He added: “Both countries are members of the European Nuclear Alliance. “We reject ideologically driven discrimination against our countries’ stable, affordable, and environmentally friendly energy supply. We are also working together to extend the operational lifespan of our nuclear power plants. Cooperation between our border communities is essential, and construction of four new cross-border roads is currently on the agenda.”
He said: “Romania has had ten foreign ministers since my time in office, but cooperation has always remained constructive. I’ve managed to work well with every one of my colleagues so far, and I trust this will also be the case with Oana Toiu.”
He pointed out that the operation of the Paks nuclear power plant is the main guarantee for the long-term maintenance of utility cost reductions in Hungary, which is why a decision was made to extend the operating life of the units, and Romania has recently decided on a similar measure.
“Today we agreed to launch professional and political cooperation on the extension of the operating life of the Cernavoda and Paks nuclear power plants in order to complete this process as quickly as possible from a professional point of view and to prevent Brussels from opposing it,” he said.
He emphasised that it is in the interest of both countries to increase the share of nuclear energy, as this will enable them to secure a reliable and inexpensive source of energy produced domestically. “Utility cost reductions can be protected with nuclear energy, because it is something we produce ourselves, we can produce it cheaply, and we can produce it reliably. Therefore, the greater the nuclear capacity in the country, the better we can protect the results of utility cost reductions,” he explained.
“That is why we are extending the operating life of the existing units at the Paks nuclear power plant, and the Romanians are doing the same with their own power plant, so we are working together to ensure that we can both be successful,” he concluded.
Romania’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Oana Țoiu, said the two had “discussed the intensification of bilateral trade exchanges and the prospects for strengthening cooperation in sectoral areas, such as infrastructure, transport, energy, etc”.
Romania’s Energy Minister Bogdan Ivan, who hosted the 7th International Energy Conference in Bucharest, said: “Energy does not respect borders, and Romania and Hungary are jointly implementing solutions for the stability of the region. Today I had a very practical discussion with Péter Szijjártó … about the solid partnership between our countries. It is a pragmatic collaboration, built on common interests, which strengthens the energy security of the entire region.”
Hungary’s four operating VVER-440 units at the Paks NPP began operation between 1982 and 1987with a design life of 30 years. In 2005 their operation was extended for 20 years to between 2032 and 2037, and a further 20-year extension is planned.
Romania’s two 650 MWe Candu reactors at the Cernavoda NPP began operation in 1996 and 2007 with a 30-year design life. A further 30 years of operation is possible following refurbishment. Work to extend unit 1 began in 2017 and is currently in the second of three phases, expected to be completed in 2026. This involves preparatory measures. The third phase, scheduled for 2027 to 2029 will see the unit shutdown for refurbishment.
