Metallurgists at AEM-Spetsstal (part of Rosatom’s Machine Building Division) have started forging a batch of blanks weighing around 600 tons, which will be used to produce components of the reactor vessel for Unit 6 of Hungary’s Paks II Nuclear Power Plant. The second phase of the plant is being built using the latest Russian design. The forging process took place in the presence of representatives of the foreign customer. “The Paks II Nuclear Power Plant project is the largest nuclear investment in the European Union. With the construction of two new power units in Paks, we will be able to produce a significant amount of electricity in a sustainable manner for Hungary’s economy through the end of this century. The long-cycle equipment production is progressing steadily, thanks to significant efforts by Hungarian specialists – from design supervision to licensing and ongoing production monitoring. A tangible result of this is that forging of the Unit 6 reactor vessel has now begun, while the final acceptance of the Unit 5 reactor shell is scheduled for this month,” said Gergely Jákli, President and CEO of Paks II Ltd. “The Paks II project is progressing according to schedule. The start of long-cycle equipment production for Unit 6, just a year after similar work began for Unit 5, clearly reflects this,” noted Vitaly Polyanin, Vice President of JSC ASE and Project Director for the Paks Nuclear Power Plant construction. “We have started work on the ‘heart’ of the nuclear power plant – a Generation III+ reactor – for another unit in Hungary. Russian metallurgists and engineers have reached high production rates for Paks II equipment. Forging is currently underway for both Unit 5 and Unit 6 reactors. In the near future, we will begin manufacturing steam generators, pressurisers, safety system tanks, and other primary circuit components, as well as equipment for the turbine hall. To ensure timely and high-quality equipment production, several of our facilities in Moscow, Podolsk, St. Petersburg, Petrozavodsk, and Volgodonsk will be involved,” stated Igor Kotov, Head of Rosatom’s Machine-Building Division.