"Any obstruction of our nuclear investments is seen as an attack on our sovereignty"

In the absence of a big increase in nuclear capacity, the European Union’s competitiveness will not improve and its climate goals will not be achieved, Hungary's FM pointed out.

Szijjártó Péter külgazdasági és külügyminiszter (b) és Rafael Mariano Grossi, a Nemzetközi Atomenergia-ügynökség) NAÜ főigazgatója Bécsben, 2023.09.25-én. (Forrás: Szijjártó Péter / Facebook)

Without boosting nuclear capacity, the European Union’s competitiveness will not improve, its energy security will not be guaranteed and its climate goals will not be met, warned Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto on Monday in Vienna. 

The EU is living through the greatest economic, security and energy crises of the past decades, the Hungarian minister said at the general assembly of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

In his speech, he pointed out that the bloc's competitiveness has deteriorated significantly, with natural gas costing seven times more on the continent than in the US and electricity three times more than in China. 

"We must ask how we can improve Europe's competitiveness, guarantee energy security, while maintaining its ambitions in environmental protection," he pointed out.

The only answer is ramping up nuclear power production and boosting capacities. With nuclear technology we can produce much more energy, much more cheaply, and much more safely,

he said.

Nuclear fuel could also help to reduce emissions, Peter Szijjarto said, pointing out that the annual output of the world’s 440 nuclear plants is equal to 180 billion cubic meters of natural gas consumption.

"If we really want to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, we must at least double capacities," he said, noting that "otherwise, Europe clearly will not be able to maintain competitiveness and achieve its climate goals."

So it’s necessary to end the ideological and political debates on the use of nuclear energy, to put a stop to ideological and political attacks on nuclear energy, eliminate discrimination, and create a level playing field,

he pointed out.

Hungary, he underlined, had gladly signed the letter on the "undoubted" advantages of nuclear energy the IAEA’s director general sent to this year’s UN COP28 climate conference. 

Briefing the assembly on the upgrade of Hungary’s Paks nuclear plant, the Hungarian minister said determining a country’s energy mix is a physical issue, falling within national competence, and no one has the right to interfere.

"Hungary regards energy supplies as an issue of national sovereignty and any obstruction of our nuclear investments is seen as an attack on our sovereignty," he underscored, stressing that 

Hungary will never support EU sanctions that may harm the country's nuclear cooperation with Russia, as this would undermine national interests.

He pointed out that in the first half of this year the United States imported twice as much uranium from Russia as before.

Hungary’s recent efforts to improve competitiveness and create a manufacturing hub for Eastern and Western investors have increased demand for electricity, Peter Szijjarto said.

So besides building two new blocks in Paks, Hungary is also prolonging the life cycle of the existing four by 20 years, he noted, guaranteeing environmental protection and ensuring sufficient energy for the country’s growing economy.

Fully 65 percent of Hungary’s energy production is carbon neutral and 80 percent of that is provided by the Paks plant, he said, adding that the aim was to raise that ratio to 90 percent by 2030 and to full carbon neutrality by 2050. The two new blocks, expected to prevent the annual emission of 17 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, are key to that process.

Besides Russia’s Rosatom, US, German and French companies are active in the project, using cutting-edge technology amid the strictest security measures, Peter Szijjarto pointed out.

Cover photo: Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto (l) and Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency Rafael Mariano Grossi in Vienna on September 25, 2023 (Source: Facebook/Peter Szijjarto)