Page 11 - bne_newspaper_November_16_2018

Central Europe
November 16, 2018 www.intellinews.com I Page 11
The delay in the Paks expansion was on the table at talks between Putin and Orban in Moscow in September, which observers characterised as rather tense for this specific reason. Orban said the importance of the project “goes far beyond Hungary”.
He noted "technical difficulties" in the implementation of the project and blamed the bureaucratic practices of the European Union. In fact, the Hungarian authorities have been slow to issue major licences for the project as well. The contractor is still trying to obtain the construction licence.
The European Union gave the green light for the implementation of the project in March 2017.
In a probe that opened in 2015, the European Commission looked into whether the construction of two new nuclear reactors had received illegal state aid.
EU regulators concluded that the project cannot be financed solely on market conditions and needs state aid, to which the commission agreed under three conditions. After the decision, Hungarian and Russian officials were talking about a 2026- 2027 date for the completion of the project.
It seems there are compliance problems with Rosatom’s VVER-1200 reactors, Hungarian
media report. In Russia and some former Soviet republics, Rosatom has installed such reactors, but these do not conform to EU standards. Finland is also building a nuclear reactor. The Hanhikivi-1 nuclear power plant will also be equipped with the Russian-designed VVER-120 pressurised water reactor.
According to Nepszava, significant cultural, technical, and safety disputes have arisen between Hungarians and Russians during the process of obtaining the first building permits. Rosatom is responsible for the development, unlike in the case of the currently operational reactors at Paks, which were built by Hungarians with Russian help.
Attila Aszodi, the state secretary overseeing the expansion, rejected the claims that the project is delayed, stressing that the 2026-27 deadline can be met.
When he was asked specifically about a scenario where delivery would have to be postponed until 2032, he said that the main aim is to create a high quality power plant capable of safe production until the end of the century.
Regarding the loan agreement, Aszodi said that the two parties may negotiate any modifications in case of delays.