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Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--The modernisation of Hungary's only nuclear power plant reached a milestone recently with the completion of modernisation works on another of the plant's eight 250-megawatt generators.
General Electric (NYSE:GE) (GE) (Fairfield, Connecticut) announced that work has been completed on the fifth of eight Ganz-built generators at the 2,000-MW plant, which is owned and operated by MVM Paks Nuclear Power Plant Limited, a subsidiary of state-owned MVM Hungarian Electricity Limited. GE was contracted in 2013 to refurbish one generator per year until 2021, including one spare generator.
Paks is located about 100 kilometers (km) south of Budapest and features four VVER-440 type reactors from Russian company AtomEnergoExport, which were commissioned between 1982 and 1987. With a combined generating a capacity of 2,000 MW, it supplies almost one-third of Hungary's electricity.
"We are very excited to complete the fifth generator modernization and extend its life 20 years, helping to support Hungary's growing electricity needs," said Pascal Schweitzer, general manager for GE's Power Services, Europe. "The project showcases our ability to service other OEM generators in existing nuclear power plants, as well as our readiness to support modernizing Paks' station generators."
The majority of the work is being carried out at GE's generator services facility in Budapest while high-speed balancing of the generators is performed at its services facility in Wroclaw, Poland.
The lifespan of the Paks plant has been extended in recent years, since its reactors were originally due to shut down between 2012 and 2017, after 30 years of operation. Unit 1 had a 20-year extension granted by the country's National Atomic Energy Office (OAH) in late 2012, while Unit 2 received a similar extension in 2014, and Unit 3 got its extension last December. It is expected that Unit 4, which was originally due to stop operating this year, will receive a similar extension. For additional information, see December 4, 2014, article--Hungary Extends Life of Paks Nuclear Plant.
Hungary is planning to build two additional reactors with a combined generating capacity of 2,400 MW, which will boost nuclear's share in the electricity mix to around 60%. The controversial Paks II nuclear power project has run into some barriers with the European Commission (EC) in recent years as the country awarded the 10 billion-euro ($13.6 billion) Paks II contract to Russia's state-owned Rosatom Corporation (Moscow, Russia), without an open tender process. For additional information, see March 2, 2015, article - Hungary's Paks Nuclear Deal Faces European Investigation.
Last November, Industrial Info reported that the EC had dropped the investigation into the government's procurement practices. For additional information, see November 30, 2016, article -EC Drops Probe of Hungary's Paks II Nuclear Project.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
General Electric (NYSE:GE) (GE) (Fairfield, Connecticut) announced that work has been completed on the fifth of eight Ganz-built generators at the 2,000-MW plant, which is owned and operated by MVM Paks Nuclear Power Plant Limited, a subsidiary of state-owned MVM Hungarian Electricity Limited. GE was contracted in 2013 to refurbish one generator per year until 2021, including one spare generator.
Paks is located about 100 kilometers (km) south of Budapest and features four VVER-440 type reactors from Russian company AtomEnergoExport, which were commissioned between 1982 and 1987. With a combined generating a capacity of 2,000 MW, it supplies almost one-third of Hungary's electricity.
"We are very excited to complete the fifth generator modernization and extend its life 20 years, helping to support Hungary's growing electricity needs," said Pascal Schweitzer, general manager for GE's Power Services, Europe. "The project showcases our ability to service other OEM generators in existing nuclear power plants, as well as our readiness to support modernizing Paks' station generators."
The majority of the work is being carried out at GE's generator services facility in Budapest while high-speed balancing of the generators is performed at its services facility in Wroclaw, Poland.
The lifespan of the Paks plant has been extended in recent years, since its reactors were originally due to shut down between 2012 and 2017, after 30 years of operation. Unit 1 had a 20-year extension granted by the country's National Atomic Energy Office (OAH) in late 2012, while Unit 2 received a similar extension in 2014, and Unit 3 got its extension last December. It is expected that Unit 4, which was originally due to stop operating this year, will receive a similar extension. For additional information, see December 4, 2014, article--Hungary Extends Life of Paks Nuclear Plant.
Hungary is planning to build two additional reactors with a combined generating capacity of 2,400 MW, which will boost nuclear's share in the electricity mix to around 60%. The controversial Paks II nuclear power project has run into some barriers with the European Commission (EC) in recent years as the country awarded the 10 billion-euro ($13.6 billion) Paks II contract to Russia's state-owned Rosatom Corporation (Moscow, Russia), without an open tender process. For additional information, see March 2, 2015, article - Hungary's Paks Nuclear Deal Faces European Investigation.
Last November, Industrial Info reported that the EC had dropped the investigation into the government's procurement practices. For additional information, see November 30, 2016, article -EC Drops Probe of Hungary's Paks II Nuclear Project.
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, five offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Our European headquarters are located in Galway, Ireland. Follow IIR Europe on: Facebook - Twitter - LinkedIn For more information on our European coverage send inquiries to info@industrialinfo.eu or visit us online at Industrial Info Europe.
