Hungary and Romania have reached an agreement to deepen cooperation on extending the operational lifetimes of their nuclear power plants—Paks in Hungary and Cernavoda in Romania. The announcement came from Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjártó during his visit to Bucharest, where he emphasized Romania’s growing strategic importance in Hungary’s overall energy security framework.
Szijjártó stated that the two countries already maintain strong cooperation in the energy sector and pursue similar national strategies, particularly regarding the role of nuclear power. Both Hungary and Romania are members of the European Nuclear Energy Coalition and jointly oppose what they consider politically motivated resistance to nuclear energy within EU institutions.
He underscored that the Paks nuclear power plant remains a key element of Hungary’s long-term plan to ensure stable and affordable household energy prices. Romania’s decision to extend the lifespan of the Cernavoda units reflects a parallel strategic direction, creating a strong basis for closer coordination.
According to Szijjártó, the two governments have now agreed to work together at both technical and political levels to speed up the approval process for nuclear plant lifetime extensions. The focus, he said, is on advancing the engineering work as efficiently as possible while also preparing to counter any potential hurdles at the EU regulatory level.
The minister stressed that expanding the use of nuclear energy is essential for both countries because it provides reliable, domestically generated electricity at predictable prices. Increasing nuclear capacity, he added, strengthens resilience against energy price volatility and reduces dependence on external supply sources.
Hungary and Romania will therefore proceed jointly, sharing expertise and supporting each other throughout the process of extending operations at Paks and Cernavoda. Both sides expect this partnership to reinforce long-term energy security and maintain affordability for consumers.
