Hungary is open to talks with the European Union to build additional reacts for its only nuclear power plant in partnership with Russia, Hungary's chief of expansion said at an energy conference Monday.

Attila Aszodi said two weeks ago that Hungary planned to begin building two new Paks Water-Water Energetic Reactors (VVER) with 1,200 Megawatts in gross output in 2018. Located 62 miles south of Budapest, the power station currently supplies over one-third of the country's electricity.

Russia issued a $11-billion loan to Hungary late last year for the Paks II project, which Budapest pledged to pay back over the two decades following 2023 when the two new Paks reactors are expected to go online.

Aszodi said at Monday's conference in Budapest that no state aid would be needed in the plant's expansion.

On November 19, the European Commission opened an infringement procedure against Hungary to find whether Paks financing complies with EU public procurement rules.

Hungarian government spokesman Zoltan Kovacs told Sputnik over the summer that issues regarding the Paks fuel supply contract had been settled with the European Atomic Energy Community Euratom.

In September, Aszodi said Hungary had received formal confirmation from the European Commission that the Paks II project met Euratom objectives.

Source: Sputnik News