Paks upgrade on schedule despite Austrian objection

The construction of two new blocks at Hungary’s Paks nuclear plant will begin in February according to schedule, despite Austria’s recent objection to the plant’s expansion, Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó has said.

The project in its entirety, together with the requisite investments, will go ahead according to the set deadlines, Szijjártó told Russian news agency TASS on the sidelines of an international conference in Tromso, in Norway.

The Austrian government announced on Monday that it is lodging its objection to the project at the top EU court.

Austria’s environment ministry said it would ask the European Court of Justice to annul the European Commission’s resolution approving the nuclear power plant’s expansion. Austria will question whether the commission’s decision serves the bloc’s interests.

In the TASS interview released on Wednesday, Szijjártó said Austria’s appeal to the EU court will not have any bearing on the upgrade, which will be proceeding as scheduled.

Hungary signed an agreement in January 2014 on the construction of two blocks at the Paks nuclear power plant by Russia’s Rosatom. Russia is lending Hungary 10 billion euros to cover 80 percent of the project’s costs.

Source: MTI