Evopro Systems Engineering signed a cooperation agreement with Areva GmbH, a company specialised in providing solutions for renewable energies and nuclear power generation.
As a result, both companies have good chances for successful tendering for the Paks project to be launched in 2018, said the Managing Director of evopro Systems Engineering Ltd., Balázs Bodnár.
Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade, László Szabó said on the occasion of signing the agreement in Budapest on Friday that the agreement backs up the vision of the Hungarian economic policy according to which the knowledge and experience accumulated in Hungary must be utilised in the international arena. He added that knowledge export, due to its much higher added value content, is probably even more important than the export of commodities.
László Szabó was pleased that evopro could meet Areva’s strict quality assurance requirements. He trusts that Hungarian engineering knowledge will benefit the national economy and this cooperation will be a success story of the Hungarian economy. He said that the Hungarian government intends to support the creation of intellectual products of high added value stressing the necessity of international assistance to raise the level of knowledge.
The Deputy Minister hopes that the agreement will further develop, and will result in major industrial contracts very soon.
The Managing Director of the engineering group headquartered in Budapest and delivering industrial solutions, Balázs Bodnár emphasised that the cooperation with Areva enables evopro to gain more experience in an international environment in the development, construction and implementation of nuclear power plant control systems.
Balázs Bodnár added that evopro actively prepares for its involvement in nuclear energetics. The company has gained international experience by testing power plant control systems for Siemens as well as during the commissioning of several power plants all over the world, and the current agreement is based on that experience.
Answering MTI’s question, the Managing Director said that the control system of Areva has been installed at the Paks nuclear power plant units 1-4. He added that since it was installed 15 years ago, a system update is also on the agenda.
Areva focuses on the supply of nuclear power plant systems, but is also specialized in low carbon solutions related to renewable energies and wind-power stations, the Managing Director explained.
Areva has 45,000 employees in 31 countries and is involved in the construction of 17 new power plants, said Areva Senior Vice President of Sales in Central & Northern Europe, Frank Apel. Demand for electricity will dramatically increase in the future, while at the same time everyone strives to decrease carbon dioxide emissions, which is a huge challenge for nuclear power plants, he added.
Mr Apel noted that Areva operates the largest testing facility in the world for safety control systems and has been the supplier of every German nuclear power plant since the 1960s.
He emphasized that the agreement with evopro strengthens the relationship between Areva and the Hungarian nuclear industry. Also, it supports the company’s initiative for modernization and new building projects. In the next three years Areva and evopro will jointly participate in international nuclear projects, whereby they can acquire the necessary experience to successfully contend for participation in the Paks project, he added.