Paks upgrade plans in line with international standards, says government commissioner

Vienna, September 29 (MTI) – The upgrade plans for the Paks nuclear plant comply with Hungarian, European Union and international standards, and feature a number of safety systems, Attila Aszodi, government commissioner for the project, told the Tuesday edition of the Austrian daily Die Presse.

The project’s environmental impact assessment took into account several unlikely but potentially severe effects the plant may have, Aszodi said, adding that the study pertaining to thermal pollution of the Danube found that the plant will not endanger the river’s habitat.

Responding to a question about the Austrian government’s concern about a Russian-type nuclear plant being built near that country, the commissioner said that such statements are “meant for Austrian domestic politics”.

Aszodi said that Austrian officials never expressed such concerns during official meetings about the upgrade. He said there was no merit to claims that the environmental impact assessment did not take into account the possibility of the plant emitting radioactive material into Austria’s territory.