Melt trap for Paks 2 nuclear power plant authorised

The National Atomic Energy Office (OAH) has approved the application for the manufacturing authorisation for the melt trap of the Paks nuclear power plant upgrade, Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, said in Istanbul on Thursday.

Szijjártó called the permit “essentially the most important for nuclear safety”, adding that the melt trap is one of the critical components of the reactors. In the event of an emergency, the melt trap is designed to hold the melt of a reactor’s core and to prevent radioactive substances from leaving the containment of the reactor.

The development is important in light of the war in Ukraine and geopolitical shifts which are creating

serious global energy supply challenges,

the minister said. “In the coming years, those countries that can produce as much of their own energy as possible will feel secure,” he said. “The Paks plant has a key role to play in this.”

• Read also: Paks nuclear power plant’s Russian upgrade gets another key permit

Mi Hazánk urges state support for defence industry developments

Opposition Mi Hazánk has called for greater state support for the development of Hungary’s defence industry. László Toroczkai, the party’s deputy leader, told a press conference on Thursday that Hungary’s defence industry should be revived based on research and development.

Ruling Fidesz, he said, should “change its age-old practice of making any form of economic development dependent on multinational, global companies of German origin.”

Instead, the state should set up companies and research centres aimed at boosting the defence industry,

he added. Such a move would improve Hungary’s defence capabilities while creating excellent business opportunities, he said. He also reiterated the party’s demand for Hungary to set up a well-paid border guard which is independent of the police.

Read also Hungary to organize the Summer Olympics in 2036?

Source: MTI