More than 350 people, representing about 180 companies – 130 Hungarian businesses among them – attended the workshop in Paks, held by ASE JSC, the Contractor of the Paks II. project, for potential suppliers of the nuclear power plant project. Interested parties came from several EU countries, Russia, Turkey and Serbia, among others.

Gergely Jákli, Chairman-CEO of Paks II. Ltd., welcomed the attendees and said that strengthening security of supply in Hungary and implementing the European Green Deal is inconceivable without the expansion of the Hungarian nuclear capacity. He highlighted that a significant market will open up for companies involved in the project, as many countries in Europe and worldwide have decided to extend the lifetime of their existing NPP units or to construct new nuclear power plants.

Vitaly Polyanin, Vice President of ASE JSC and project director for Paks II., said that the high number of participants at the Paks event also indicates a huge interest in the project, which entered the construction phase last year and is proceeding at a fast pace. The director added that intensive preparatory work is currently under way on the site for the first concrete pour, which is expected to take place this year, and ASE JSC is doing its utmost to maximize the share of local suppliers and to attract as many businesses as possible to the project.

In his presentation, Krisztián Szarvas, Technical Director of Paks II. Ltd., outlined the role of Paks II., emphasizing that the majority of the licenses are obtained by Paks II. even if they are prepared by the Contractor and its subcontractors, and that any activity can only start with the approval and control of the project company. The technical director added that nuclear qualification is a prerequisite for carrying out nuclear safety activities.

At the forum, Alexander Merten, Vice President for International Development of ASE, spoke about the importance of the investment, underlining that the new units represent the state-of-the-art Russian technology. The door is open to everyone – he said.