Stress test in Paks nuclear power plant

The Minister of National Development, Tamás Fellegi says the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, the only such plant in Hungary, is safe and will stand the stress test. He made the statement following his visit to the plant this week.

In reaction to nuclear fears arising from the disaster in Japan, Tamás Fellegi, Minister of National Development, Hungary's nuclear power plant in Paks, located 120 kilometers south of Budapest, is safe.

All doubts were eliminated whether there could be concerns for the safety of Paks, similar to the one in Japan, but these are not justified, he said. The minister visited all sections and blocks of the power plant and he confirmed there that Hungary is not threatened by the events that took place in Japan.

However, based upon a joint decision of the management and the supervisors of the power plant, it will undergo a voluntary stress test that was prescribed by the European Union.

The test is not aimed at modeling a crisis situation but the actual compatibility with a number of security criteria. As it is known, EU member states are provided the option of going through this stress test, during which full transparency of the process will be provided to the public. There are several features that will be paid full attention to, such as protection against floods and earthquakes, the safety level of operation of reserve systems in case of emergency and accidents preventive measures.