MVM Group Extends EPRI Membership

MVM Group has extended its Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) membership until 2029, the state-owned Hungarian energy company said on Monday.

According to the announcement, in 2015 the MVM Group joined the nuclear program of EPRI – a research institute established with the authorization of the United States Congress – which opened up the opportunity to utilize the institute’s existing knowledge in Hungary; the technical findings are being applied at the Paks Nuclear Power Plant.

To ensure the consistent utilization of EPRI’s expertise, MVM Paks Atomic Power Plant Ltd. established the EPRI Technology Transfer Center (TTK) in 2016, which is now used by more than 200 people, and the number of documents downloaded and applied has exceeded 2,500, the press release stated.

They emphasized that in recent years, EPRI has provided significant technical and professional support to the Paks Nuclear Power Plant in the areas of operating life extension, equipment reliability, risk analysis, and state-of-the-art testing technologies.

EPRI is one of the world’s leading energy research institutes; it is an independent, nonprofit organization that draws on the research resources of its own staff, affiliated institutes, and numerous universities. The organization’s members include all North American nuclear power plant operators and 80 percent of the world’s nuclear power units, including the Hungarian nuclear power plant, the Czech CEZ, and the Slovak Slovanské Elektrárne.

EPRI’s philosophy, based on knowledge sharing, enables members to keep pace with the rapid development of the electric power industry, learn about international best practices, and improve the competitiveness, safety, and environmental sustainability of their existing fleets, according to the MVM Group.