MVM Paks Nuclear Power Plant Ltd.

The only Nuclear Power Plant of our country is approachable, if we leave Paks in south direction, from the main road number 6. This way, we reach first the north entrance and then, the south entrance. What we see first is the 120 metre high meteorology tower and the four, severally 100 metre high, ventilative chimneys. We reach the monumental building of the power plant after a well-kept forest.

In 1976, the life of Paks has changed forever. In this year the Nuclear Power Plant of Paks was built. Nowadays, if people associate to Paks, the first thought is the power plant. The formal grand village’s life completely changed thanks to the biggest industrial investment of the 20th century. Township’s management and inhabitants had to adapt to the changes, the infrastructure was needed to be improved, and they had to find a way to satisfy the new, upcoming demands.

A long and bumpy road led to the label of the Atom City. Thanks to this investment, the number of inhabitants had been rising from 13 thousand up to 21 thousand under a few years. Professional workers arrived, not only from different cities of the country, but also from a lot of foreign countries, for example soviet, polish, czech and german engineers and technicians arrived and the unit 2689 of the Hungarian People's Army also gathered in Paks. To accomodate them, a new residential area was built. The constructions provided jobs for more than 10 thousand people. Inhabitans of Paks mocked at the new arrivals and called them as ’carpetbaggers’ or ’suitcasies’. At the same time, the workers of the investment called Paks a dusty village, where there is not anything. Of course, this title was insulting for the inhabitants, but let bygones be bygones.

In the end of 1970’s and beginning of 1980’s, a new part was built to the town with a school, a kindergarten, a day care, a community centre, a pharmacy and a post office, thanks to the construction of the power plant. The residential area has become more and more beautiful every year, it was extended with parks, playgounds and new buildings and instiutions were built. A new Paks was born because of this monumental investment.

Nowadays, it is hard to find a family in this town without any connections to the Nuclear Power Plant. That is why, inhabitants of Paks and this area do not understand why people ask them all the time, whether they have any fears because of the power plant.

We could be afraid of many things, but we can not forget, that we need the electric energy in every aspects of life. At the moment, the Nuclear Power Plant produces more than 40 % of the energy supply of Hungary. The nuclear energy is necesseary in our country, as in any other countries. To ease everyone’s anxiety, there is a quote from Patrick Moore, a founder of the Greenpeace, which was published in the Washington Post in April, 2006: "In the early 1970's, when I helped found Greenpeace, I believed that nuclear energy was synonymous with nuclear holocaust, as did most of my compatriots… Thirty years on, my views have changed, and the rest of the environmental movement needs to update its views, too, because nuclear energy may just be the energy source that can save our planet from another possible disaster: catastrophic climate change… Although I don't live near a nuclear plant, I am now squarely in their camp… We cannot simply ban every technology that is dangerous. More than 5 000 coal-mining deaths occur worldwide every year. Over the past 20 years, one of the simplest tools - the machete - has been used to kill more than a million people in Africa, far more than were killed in the Hiroshima and Nagasaki nuclear bombings combined." (Source: www.washingtonpost.com)

In 1995, the Information and Visitors Centre, and later in 2012, Museum of Nuclear Energetics were opened, with the purpose to dissolve delusions of people, and misteries surrounding nuclear energy. To overcome our fears, we can extend our personal experiences, knowledge, and learnings. If we visit these institutions, we can create our personal opinion about nuclear energy.

If it is not enough proof, than there are 10 arguments for nuclear energy:(Source: www.atomeromu.hu)

1. The Paks nuclear power plant is environmentally friendly; during operation it is carbondioxide free and releases no smoke, dust, ash or greenhouse gases.
2. The domestic use of nuclear energy ensures a safe and reliable electricity supply, thus decreasing the country’s dependence on energy imports.
3. For many decades, the nuclear power plant has been the least expensive domestic electricity producing facility and its fuel is available from politically 3 stable countries.
4. The transport and storage of fuel is simple and fuel reserves for many years to come fit easily into a medium-sized compartment.
5. The amount of radioactive waste generated is small and can be easily managed, and its safe long term deposition can be resolved.
6. The nuclear power plant creates jobs and thus plays an important role in the development of the 6 region.
7. The reactor used in the Paks nuclear power plant is a well developed, mature and safe design. Regular assessments by international organizations prove that the technical condition of the plant complies with the very stringent Hungarian and international requirements.
8. The availability factor is high and is not subject to weather conditions or 8 the time of the day.
9. International figures prove that the risk of industrial accidents in a nuclear power plant is significantly lower than in the case of conventional power- 9 technologies.
10. From all technical and economic aspects, the nuclear power plant is the basis for the safe and competitive supply of electricity in Hungary for the long term.