Péter Szijjártó, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade, said the upgrade of Hungary's Paks nuclear plant applies the most stringent safety and environmental protection standards.
Minister Szijjártó told parliament’s sustainable development committee that the two new reactor blocks being built will be protected by a doubly reinforced concrete wall structure capable of withstanding even the most severe external pressures. “The two new blocks will be absolutely ‘Fukushima-proof’,” the minister said, explaining that the reinforced concrete structure protecting the nuclear facility was capable of withstanding external pressures even as big as a plane crash. Initial groundwork is underway at the site, and construction permits have been obtained for several buildings, Szijjártó said. Construction of equipment with long production times is also ongoing, and a German-American joint venture is building the diaphragm wall, he added. “I’d like to assure you that everything happening in Paks adheres to the most stringent safety and environmental protection standards,” he told the committee. In addition to the 94 Hungarian companies involved in the project, there are American, French, German, Swedish and Austrian sub-contractors working at the construction site, he noted.