MVM Paksi Atomeromu, which operates Hungary’s sole nuclear power plant said it submitted an application to extend the lifespan of its number 2 block by 20 years to the National Atomic Energy Office (OAH).The authority is expected to take a decision on issuing the permit, based on the 3,000-page application, in Q4 2014. The plant in Paks (C Hungary) was awarded a permit to extend the lifespan of its number 1 block by 20 years last December. The plant’s four blocks were put into operation between 1982 and 1987 with a planned lifespan of 30 years. Paks wants to add another 20 years to the lifespans of the reactors, which account for more than 45pc of domestic electricity generation. More than three-quarters of Hungarians support the expansion of the blocks’ lifespans, the company said, citing surveys.