Government: Paks 2 to have broad nuclear security measures

Budapest (MTI) – Hungary plans to upgrade its nuclear plant in Paks employing a wide range of nuclear security standards, Attila Aszódi, the government commissioner in charge of the project, said on Friday.

Addressing a nuclear power conference, the commissioner said the authorities would strive to identify every possible human and external risk which could have an impact on nuclear safety even over the span of hundreds of years. Excluding such risks will be part of the planning process, Aszódi insisted.

He said expert opinions underpinned by scientific research will be built on when planning Paks 2. On-site environmental and suitability inspections needed for licencing are ongoing, he added.

Risk management will include contingencies for incidents or disruptions in operations, and solutions will be built in to handle such events, he said. Aszódi noted that since the Fukushima nuclear accident, nuclear engineering has evolved and planning caters for any extreme events even with the slightest probability of occurring. An enhanced system which manages even complex disruptions is used.

Aszodi said requests for site permission for the two new blocks at Paks will be submitted still this year.

Government office chief János Lázár said on Thursday that the European Commission was ready to come to an agreement with the Hungarian government on the Paks nuclear plant upgrade project once “appropriate legal and financial guarantees” were in place.

Source: http://mtva.hu/hu/hungary-matters