Hungary to buy modular nuclear reactor in a few years

Hungary could consider the purchase of one or more small modular reactors (SMR), a class of nuclear reactor that is smaller than conventional ones and can be remotely produced, in 2029-2030, the minister of energy affairs said in an interview published on business news website vg.hu on Monday.

An SMR could be procured by Hungary in 2029-2030 “at the earliest”, Csaba Lantos said. The SMR would probably be set up in the east of the country, but other locations are also being considered, he added.

He acknowledged that Hungary depends on imports for 76 percent of its energy supply, above the EU average of 71 percent, but said the government had done much to establish interconnectors between networks of neighbouring countries.

Hungary has to expand its sources of supply, but it cannot give up imports from Russia “from one day to the next”, the minister said.

Lantos said he would like to see the lifespans of all four blocks at the Paks nuclear power plant extended for another 20 years, adding that the matter hinges on technical rather than political issues.