Hungary could become a benchmark in the field of modular nuclear power plants, said the head of Századvég’s Energy and Climate Policy Division on Kossuth Radio’s Vasárnapi újság (“Sunday Newspaper”) program.
Referring to Friday’s U.S.-Hungarian agreement enabling the installation of such reactors, Olivér Hortay said that small, modular nuclear power plants have a capacity of several hundred megawatts, similar to gas-fired power plants, compared to the capacity of several thousand megawatts of traditional power plants.
Nuclear technology is experiencing a global renaissance, with modular reactors representing one of the most promising areas of innovation. Modular reactors have many advantages: they are easier to license, and model-based solutions can be better applied to their construction, he added.
He explained that there are two reasons why Hungary should get involved in the application of this new technology. Electrification is a global trend, and the world and Hungary need more and more electricity, that is especially true if Hungary takes its industrial development goals seriously. This will require electricity generation capacity and cheap energy, and the new technology may be able to meet these needs.
The other reason is innovation: the question is when the boom in small, modular nuclear power plants will begin.
The Americans are at the forefront of technological development, and by joining the technology in the region, Hungary can be the first to create the necessary legal environment, gain experience, and provide local suppliers with knowledge that they can later use in other countries.
The energy policy expert also pointed out that before the agreement granting Hungary exemption from U.S. sanctions on the purchase of Russian energy sources, Donald Trump said he understood Hungary’s position. He added that the real problem lies with those Western European countries that continue to purchase Russian energy despite the sanctions, continuing their purchases through indirect channels.
He believed that it was telling that after President Trump announced the sanctions against the two Russian companies, the Germans—who had imposed an oil embargo three years earlier—were the first to request exemption from the U.S. sanctions. Bulgaria similarly requested exemption.
Trump has let the cat out of the bag,” and it would not be surprising if other countries also requested exemptions,
he noted.
He said he would not be surprised if the new situation resulted in a softening of the pro-sanctions rhetoric represented by these countries. From Brussels’ point of view, this does not represent a significant change, because the leaders of the European Commission have gone so far in their pro-sanctions policy that there is no turning back. They have stated that they want to impose permanent sanctions on Russian energy carriers, regardless of the outcome of the war.
The next battle that the Hungarian government will have to fight will be to protect Hungary from Brussels’ sanctions efforts, Olivér Hortay emphasized.
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Via MTI, Featured image: Facebook/Paks II. Atomerőmű Zrt.
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