Lazar: Euratom clears Paks upgrade contracts 

Budapest, September 10 (MTI) – The Euratom Supply Agency has reviewed contracts for the Paks nuclear reactor development project and determined they are fully in line with the EU legal framework, government office chief Janos Lazar said on Thursday.

Euratom informed the government on September 7 that the contracts for the Paks development comply with all technical, energy policy and environmental protection requirements, Lazar told a weekly press conference.

The Brussels body had previously approved Hungary’s plan to buy fuel from Russia in the long term for the Paks II project, he added. Lazar said the government has again got closer to ensuring the conditions for generating cheap electricity for the next 60 years.

Hungary is building another two blocks at its sole source of commercial nuclear power, with Russian financing. The plant generates a little more than half of the electricity in Hungary. Hungary earlier conducted talks with the European Commission to clear up questions related to competition law and the implementation of EU procurement rules with regard to the Paks project.