Hungary inks deal with UK to develop small modular nuclear reactors

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) – Hungary has signed an agreement with the UK to collaborate on the development of small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs), World Nuclear News reported Wednesday.

Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjarto announced the agreement in a video message posted on Facebook following a meeting in London with his British counterpart, David Lammy.

"We are a landlocked country ... for us nuclear energy is the real solution, and Rolls-Royce here in Great Britain is one of the world's leading companies in the development of small modular reactors," Szijjarto said.

The agreement establishes strategic bilateral cooperation aimed at accelerating the deployment of SMRs.

Hungary currently operates the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, built in the 1980s using Soviet nuclear technology. The plant generates approximately half of the country's electricity. Meanwhile, the Paks II project, which will add two modern Russian-designed nuclear reactors, is under construction and is expected to be connected to the grid around 2032.