On Friday, a production start-up ceremony was held in one of Europe’s largest automated forging plants, the Atomenergomas factory near St. Petersburg, on the occasion of the start of Paks II. Forging the components of the reactor equipment being prepared for block 5 of the nuclear power plant.
Andrej Sinyakov reported that it is a challenge for them too that Paks II. production required for investment must meet the strict requirements of the European Union. The necessary permits for production were granted by the Hungarian Energy Authority. The reactor vessel is extremely strict, with around 700 quality checks in its process.
In response to MTI’s question, Andrej Sinyakov said that Paks II. The date of completion of reactor 5 depends on the pace at which the customer takes over the work. According to his description, a reactor is built for 36 months, but it can be longer or shorter depending on the handover of the work phases.
The rings that make up the reactor vessel being built in Kolpino will then be taken to Atomenergomas’ factory in Volgodonsk in southern Russia, where further work phases will be carried out to prepare the nuclear reactor vessel. In addition to the processing of the components and the heat treatment of the entire reactor tank, a pressure test will also be performed, he detailed.
He said that the finished products will be taken out of the factory by water, but it has not yet been decided how the reactor will be transported to Paks in line with the investment. It is expected that the tank will also be taken to Paks by water.
At the ceremony for the start of production, Gergely Jákli, Paks II. Zrt.’s president and CEO said: Paks II. works are being carried out at the site at a suitable pace so that the power plant can be connected to the grid in the early 2030s.
At the ceremony, Péter Szabó, the mayor of Paks, called the start of production of the reactor a historic moment in the life of the city. They are confident – he said – that the expansion will bring development to the settlement similar to the Paks I investment.
The city provides the necessary infrastructure for the Paks II investment and for those working on its expansion. So far, 12 billion forints have been allocated for this purpose, and in the next 3-4 years they plan to use 40 billion forints, said the mayor of Paks.
Vitaly Polyanin, Paks II. At the ceremony, the vice president of Atomstrojexport, the main contractor of the nuclear power plant, and the director of the Paks project, confirmed that Paks II. investment is proceeding according to plan. He added that Hungary is in great need of the investment, which represents a significant item in the country’s electricity supply.
According to Rosatom, the rings that make up the reactor tank and the bottom of the tank are formed under a pressure of about 12,000 tons during forging. The finished weight of the reactor vessel is about 330 tons, its height is more than 11 meters, its diameter is 4.5 meters, and its largest wall thickness is 285 millimeters.
The VVER-1200 reactor vessel is tested not only by the continuous neutron flux, but also by the temperature of 300 degrees Celsius and the pressure of 162 bar, guaranteed for 60 years. Thanks to the modern material composition and production technology, the reactor vessel will be able to serve for up to 100 years.
After a three-year work process that requires great care and precision, the finished reactor vessel will be heat treated at 650 degrees, checked with X-rays, and pressure tested at 250 bar.
On August 25, 2022, the National Atomic Energy Agency (OAH) issued the license for the production of the reactor tank, which includes all the standards and requirements related to the reactor equipment, starting from the production of the raw materials, which will therefore comply with Hungarian and European regulations in all respects.
The production process is regularly checked on site by Paks II. Zrt. and OAH specialists as well, Rosatom indicated.
