Paks joins EPRI's nuclear research program
26 February 2015
Paks Nuclear Power Plant in Hungary has joined the nuclear research program of the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI).
EPRI is an independent, non-profit organization that conducts research and development relating to the generation, delivery and use of electricity. Its members represent about 90% of the electricity generated and delivered in the USA, and international participation extends to more than 30 countries. Its principal offices and laboratories are located in Palo Alto, California; Charlotte, North Carolina; Knoxville, Tennessee; and Lenox, Massachusetts.
The Paks facility, which is principally owned by state-owned power wholesaler Magyar Villamos Művek (MVM), consists of four VVER 440 nuclear reactors, each rated at 500 MW.
The collaboration between Paks and EPRI will enable the institute "to further expand the applicability of its technical products and guidance to VVER reactors," EPRI said in a statement yesterday. EPRI membership will allow Paks to access EPRI research results and technical guidance that can "inform the safe, reliable, cost-effective operation of Hungary's commercial nuclear power plants," it added.
Hungary gets most of its electricity from thermal and nuclear power, but government policy intends to increase the amount of renewable energy, nuclear energy, and energy efficiency to meet future demand. In 2014, the Hungarian government signed agreements with Russia's Rosenergoatom to build two new VVER units at Paks, to be brought online in the 2020s.
"The existing Paks units, two of which have already received government approval for 20-year life extensions, will be able to tap into our diverse range of research activities related to long-term operations, aging management, fuel reliability, waste management, radiation protection, and risk and safety," said Neil Wilmshurst, EPRI vice president and chief nuclear officer. "Just as importantly, our engagement with Paks will enable our global membership to draw lessons from Hungary's nuclear plants that can be shared with the broader nuclear industry."
Geza Pekarik, technical support director of MVM Paks Nuclear Power Plant Ltd, added that access to EPRI's past research results and active participation in EPRI's current research programs will help meet the challenges the plant is facing. The agreement with EPRI "represents a major step toward further improvement of our plant's safety and operational reliability," Pekarik said.
The Hungarian company can provide input into EPRI's research activities, he said, and at the same time "create opportunities for building professional contacts on an international scale". EPRI will also have access to Hungary's technical professionals in nuclear energy.
In December, the project company set up to oversee the expansion of the Paks nuclear power plant signed three "implementation agreements" with Russia's Nizhny Novgorod Engineering Company Atomenergoproekt for two new 1200 MWe nuclear power reactors. Nizhny Novgorod Engineering Company Atomenergoproekt is a subsidiary of Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom.
The first document is an engineering, procurement, construction contract for two new power units, which sets forth targets for the next 12 years. The second document regulates the terms and conditions of service support for the would-be power units. The third document is about the fuel supply terms.
Paks is the only operating nuclear power plant in Hungary. The 2 GWe plant accounts for 42% of electricity generated in the country. A Soviet-era nuclear power plant, Paks has four pressurized water reactors of the VVER-440 type, which started up between 1982 and 1987. Though originally 440 MWe gross, the units have been upgraded and will be modified further to give 500-510 MWe gross.
In early 2014, Hungary and Russia signed a cooperation agreement which included the construction of two new VVER reactors of up to 1200 MWe each at Paks. The first new unit is to be commissioned in 2023, with the second following about two years later.
During Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to Hungary on 17 February, Rosatom and Hungary's ministry of human capacities signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the training of nuclear energy personnel that will support the project.
Researched and written
by World Nuclear News