OREANDA-NEWS. October 18, 2012.   On the 17th of October, 2012, in Kiev the Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation, the Government of Hungary and the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine concerning the cooperation in the field of shipment of nuclear material between the Russian Federation and Hungary through the territory of Ukraine was signed.

For the Russian Federation the Agreement was signed by Deputy Director General for International Cooperation of ROSATOM Nikolai Spasskiy, for the Hungarian party it was signed by Director General of the Atomic Energy Agency of Hungary Josef Ronaki, and for the Ukrainian party it was signed by Chairperson of the State Nuclear Regulatory Inspectorate of Ukraine Yelena Mikolaichuk.

The Agreement defines main principles of nuclear material shipments between Russia and Hungary. It is called for to replace the existing Agreement between the Government of the Russian Federation, the Government of Ukraine and the Government of the Republic of Hungary concerning the cooperation in the field of transportation of nuclear fuel between the Republic of Hungary and the Russian Federation through the territory of Ukraine of December 29, 1992. Since the signing of that agreement large changes have taken place in both the world and the parties to the agreement. The legal regulatory basis, which regulates the atomic energy uses, has seriously developed. The nuclear safety requirements adopted worldwide have substantially become more stringent, including with the considerations of the Fukushima-Daiichi accident. The nuclear power cooperation between the three countries is entering a new level. The new Agreement reflects all these realia.

The Russian Federation supplies fuel to Paks NPP in Hungary, which was built with involvement of the USSR. Paks NPP comprises four power units with VVER-440 reactors. The first unit was commissioned in 1982 and the three other units were put on line in 1984, 1986 and 1987, correspondingly. The fuel is supplied by the Fuel Company of ROSATOM TVEL. Under the Agreement, the Russian party repatriates spent nuclear fuel.

Russia and Ukraine signed similar agreements with Bulgaria (2006) and Slovakia (2010).