Cabinet chief Lazar: Obstacles removed from Paks fuel supply deal

Brussels (MTI) – All obstacles have been removed from the fuel supply agreement required for the planned expansion of the Paks nuclear power station, cabinet chief Janos Lazar said after talks with European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Canete in Brussels on Tuesday.

Lazar told MTI over the phone he had agreed with Canete that the European Commission would soon close the issue concerning the fuel supply of the upgraded nuclear power plant.

State secretary of the prime minister’s office Balazs Sonkodi held talks in Luxembourg on Tuesday with officials of the Euratom Supply Agency (ESA), which is in charge of approving the agreement. All issues have been clarified and the doubts settled, with the two sides initialling an agreement, Lazar said.

“Hungary has accepted the European Commission’s comments and will follow the Finnish example on drafting the fuel supply contract,” Lazar said. It was agreed that Hungary would guarantee the opportunity for the Russian side to supply fuel for the newly built reactors for 10 years, he said, adding that this solution was completely acceptable to Russia.