Hungarian opposition queries government on Paks expansion

The opposition Párbeszéd party on Thursday said it has submitted a series of questions to the government in connection with the upgrade of Hungary’s nuclear power plant in Paks.

Addressing an online press conference, Benedek Jávor, an advisor to the party, noted that Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó announced last week that Hungary and Russia had agreed to modify the contract on the plant’s expansion.

Jávor said Párbeszéd’s questions aimed to clarify the changes and which contracts they applied to.

He said Párbeszéd wanted to know whether it was possible that Paks 2, the project company in charge of the upgrade, would take over contractor duties and the related financial and legal responsibilities.

The party also seeks information on whether the issue of the project’s increased costs, “for which Russia’s Rosatom is to blame”, would be settled if a new contractor was appointed, he said.

Another question Párbeszéd wants answered is whether a potential new financing contract would be submitted to parliament for approval, Jávor added.

Source: MTI