Nuclear energy in Hungary
Encyclopedia
The first Hungarian
nuclear reactor
was built at Csillebérc (located in Budapest
's 12th district
) in 1959. Construction on the first commercial nuclear reactors began in 1975 after the oil crisis and the first was completed in 1982. Currently, in the Paks Nuclear Power Plant
, Hungary has four nuclear reactors with a net output capacity of 1,826 MWe
. Originally, these plants had expected lives of 30 years; however, the Hungarian government decided to complete 20-year life extension projects on the reactors. The cost of these projects will amount to approximately $900 million but will also increase total capacity to 2,000 MWe
. Hungary also had plans to build two more reactors with capacities of 950 MWe
each but cancelled the plans due to decreased power demand in the early 1990s.
Hungary receives all of its fuel, uranium, from TVEL in Russia
. Spent fuel normally is disposed without reprocessing, though there are instances of spent fuel sent to Russia for reprocessing. For the spent fuel that is not reprocessed, it is kept at the nuclear reactor site for five years in pools and then sent to dry storage. Additionally, in 2005 the residents of Bataapati
, in the south of the country, approved construction plans for low and intermediate-level waste storage facility. Parliament approved this construction in November 2005. The costs of this construction will be covered by the Central Nuclear Financial Fund, the fund the nuclear power companies pay into.
Currently, plans do not exist for construction of a new nuclear power plant. Traditionally, the public has little input into nuclear power, outside the vote for the storage facility. The government of Hungary remains committed to nuclear power
to serve its future electricity needs.
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
nuclear reactor
Nuclear reactor
A nuclear reactor is a device to initiate and control a sustained nuclear chain reaction. Most commonly they are used for generating electricity and for the propulsion of ships. Usually heat from nuclear fission is passed to a working fluid , which runs through turbines that power either ship's...
was built at Csillebérc (located in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
's 12th district
Hegyvidék
Hegyvidék is the official name of the XII district of Budapest , capital of Hungary. It is a region of Buda, on the west bank of river Danube.- Geography :...
) in 1959. Construction on the first commercial nuclear reactors began in 1975 after the oil crisis and the first was completed in 1982. Currently, in the Paks Nuclear Power Plant
Paks Nuclear Power Plant
The Paks Nuclear Power Plant , located from Paks, central Hungary, is the first and only operating nuclear power station in Hungary. Altogether, its four reactors produce more than 40 percent of the electrical power generated in the country.-Technical parameters:VVER is the Soviet designation for...
, Hungary has four nuclear reactors with a net output capacity of 1,826 MWe
MWE
MWE may refer to:*Manufacturer's Weight Empty*McDermott Will & Emery*Midwest Express, an airline*Merowe Airport - IATA code*Multiword expressionMWe may refer to:*Megawatt electrical...
. Originally, these plants had expected lives of 30 years; however, the Hungarian government decided to complete 20-year life extension projects on the reactors. The cost of these projects will amount to approximately $900 million but will also increase total capacity to 2,000 MWe
MWE
MWE may refer to:*Manufacturer's Weight Empty*McDermott Will & Emery*Midwest Express, an airline*Merowe Airport - IATA code*Multiword expressionMWe may refer to:*Megawatt electrical...
. Hungary also had plans to build two more reactors with capacities of 950 MWe
MWE
MWE may refer to:*Manufacturer's Weight Empty*McDermott Will & Emery*Midwest Express, an airline*Merowe Airport - IATA code*Multiword expressionMWe may refer to:*Megawatt electrical...
each but cancelled the plans due to decreased power demand in the early 1990s.
Hungary receives all of its fuel, uranium, from TVEL in Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Spent fuel normally is disposed without reprocessing, though there are instances of spent fuel sent to Russia for reprocessing. For the spent fuel that is not reprocessed, it is kept at the nuclear reactor site for five years in pools and then sent to dry storage. Additionally, in 2005 the residents of Bataapati
Bátaapáti
Bátaapáti is a village in Tolna County, Hungary....
, in the south of the country, approved construction plans for low and intermediate-level waste storage facility. Parliament approved this construction in November 2005. The costs of this construction will be covered by the Central Nuclear Financial Fund, the fund the nuclear power companies pay into.
Currently, plans do not exist for construction of a new nuclear power plant. Traditionally, the public has little input into nuclear power, outside the vote for the storage facility. The government of Hungary remains committed to nuclear power
Nuclear power
Nuclear power is the use of sustained nuclear fission to generate heat and electricity. Nuclear power plants provide about 6% of the world's energy and 13–14% of the world's electricity, with the U.S., France, and Japan together accounting for about 50% of nuclear generated electricity...
to serve its future electricity needs.