European Nuclear Society
e-news Issue 34 Autumn 2011
http://www.euronuclear.org/e-news/e-news-34/HNS.htm

The HNS welcomes Hungary’s new National Energy Strategy

On 3 October, the Hungarian Parliament approved the new National Energy Strategy for the period up to 2030, with a further projection to 2050. Within this Strategy several potential options have been discussed. The so-called “Nuclear-Coal-Green” option is considered to be the most realistic and preferred one. Its key elements are as follows:

The long-term use of nuclear energy within the energy-mix
The preservation of the current contribution level of coal-based energy production
The increased use of the renewable energy sources

The Hungarian Nuclear Society (HNS) welcomes the resolutions made by the Parliament and included in the Strategy. The Society believes that the following statements are of particular importance:

Nuclear safety has to be the top priority throughout the nuclear fuel cycle.
The long-term use of nuclear energy in Hungary considerably increases the safety of the country’s energy supply, decreases the rate of natural gas consumption, and contributes to the solution of climatic and environmental issues in an economic way.
The current units at the Paks NPP will be shut down after 2030. Although exact dates have not been defined within the Strategy, two new nuclear units are expected to be commissioned by 2025 and 2030. Their operation could also satisfy the increasing demand for the electrification of traffic (railway and road).

At the same time, the HNS has identified considerable inadequacy when it comes to the provision of basic education in the natural sciences and support for nuclear research and development. In both areas stronger governmental assistance could favourably contribute to ensuring that the professional competence required to achieve the objectives underlined by the National Energy Strategy is available.

Predicted nuclear capacity in Hungary