Chinese could emerge around Paks II construction in Hungary

It is possible that Chinese companies may also appear around Paks II. Currently, the possibilities of applying their experience in nuclear power construction to the Hungarian project are being investigated.

Will Paks II see Chinese intervention?

There is a possibility that Chinese companies may also appear around Paks II, and they are currently investigating the possibilities of applying their experience in nuclear power construction to the Hungarian project. Among other things, this is what Gergely Jákli, CEO of Paks II Plc., talked about in an interview with Portfolio.

Jákli said that when the French prime contractor for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power plant in England was asked about the background of the project, they were directed to their Chinese counterpart. The reason is that there are 52 nuclear power plants under construction in China and the French prime contractor has brought Chinese people into the project.

“Three giant companies cover the entire nuclear industry in China, and so we are absolutely looking at points of cooperation,” said the CEO.

Jákli also said in the interview that the sum of EUR 12.5 billion “remains in place” with the Russian prime contractor, but added that the projected costs of building a nuclear power plant in Western Europe had not been met anywhere else, so it would be “irresponsible” to say more now.

Szijjártó: Manufacturing of Paks 2 reactor vessel underway in St Petersburg

The melt trap manufactured for the new reactor blocks in Paks is ready, and another large component, the reactor vessel, is under manufacturing in St Peterburg, the minister of foreign affairs and trade said on Friday.

Responding to a question at a press conference on another matter, Péter Szijjártó said the manufacturing of those components was a “milestone”. The melt trap will arrive in Hungary in the summer, ahead of schedule, he said.

The reactor vessel, “the heart of the reactor, is where the actual chain reaction happens,” will be 11 meters high and 4.5 meters in diameter, with a 30cm wall, Szijjártó said. It will weigh 330 tonnes, he added. The reactor vessel will have to be operational for at least 60 years “in 330 degrees Celsius, under 162 Bars of pressure”, he said.

The Paks upgrade is progressing according to schedule, Szijjártó added. The start of the new blocks in the beginning of the new decade will mean a great step towards energy security, he said.

Szijjártó: Campaign against Chinese companies damaging to European economy

The close links between German and Chinese companies are obvious from Hungary, and it is not clear what they talk about in Brussels and they probably have no idea how the electric car transition happens in the real world, the foreign minister said on Friday.

The ministry cited Szijjártó as saying in response to a question at a joint press conference with Czech counterpart Jan Lipavsky that when the European Union takes action against Chinese companies, they should look at Hungary and see that the largest German and Chinese companies very closely cooperate in the car industry.

“I think that the campaign against Chinese companies is also damaging for the European economy because we can see the close interlinks between German and Chinese companies, and we can also see that certain German company strategies, whose success is also in Europe’s interest, cannot be successful without Chinese suppliers,” he said.

“It is possible to manufacture ideologies and say that something is politically unacceptable, but the facts are facts,” he added.

He said he was looking forward to the upcoming Chinese presidential visit to Hungary and added that details would be announced on April 29.

In response to a question concerning a possible Hungary-Ukraine summit, he said this could take place only after the ethnic Hungarian community in Transcarpathia gets back the rights they had had before 2015.

“Only when the rights are restored, not when promises are made, can a summit be held,” he said. “We are ready for it. Our expectations are clear, and we have submitted them in eleven points,” he added. “I am continually in talks with my colleagues [Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy] Yermak and [Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro] Kuleba, and they know what we would like, they know what we expect, and I hope at some point they will take them into consideration,” he said.

In response to a question concerning the approval of a US support package for Ukraine, he said assessing the decision should be left to US voters who will have the opportunity in November to express their opinion about what future they wish for the world in terms of peace or war.

“We sincerely hope that the decision will take the world closer to peace and not towards the escalation of war,” he added.

“We believe that weapons supplies extend the war and result in further people dying, further destruction, and whereas we are aware that this position is in a significant minority in Europe, but it still exists, and we still maintain this position,” he said.