Az oldalt gondozza: Energiaklub

Paks contracts uncovered

2012. 1. 2.

The Paks Nuclear Power Plant (Paksi Atomerőmű) disclosed the complete contracts of the Teller project related to the planned expansion of the plant. As we have reported earlier, following the Energiaklub’s successful data request suit the company disclosed the contracts about the planned nuclear power plant expansion but it redacted several sections, thus making them illegible. In order to get to know these details we submitted another request to the Power Plant, and it provided the whole unabridged material this time.

Redacted sections included passages pertaining to strategies aimed at increasing social acceptance and the placement of radioactive waste. In addition, attachments containing task specifications had been missing for several contracts, these were also provided. The contracts can be downloaded from this website (in Hungarian).

The referenced contracts contain commissions for communications, economic, financing, social, environmental and technical analyses. In order to learn the details of the planned expansion, the Energiaklub requested these analyses as well. These studies include the analysis (prepared on the basis of an agreement with the Esplanade Kft.) that made the police question several persons from the former management of the Power Plant and from monitoring bodies in the past few weeks. The Power Plant asked for an extension of the deadline until 30 September to provide this part of our request.

This data request was preceded by the Energiaklub’s 2010 data request submitted to the Power Plant regarding information about the Teller project pertaining to the power plant expansion as it is an important issue affecting the public. According to expert estimates, the planned expansion may cost up to 2-3 thousand billion (!) forints, therefore the Policy Institution wanted the process to be public and transparent from the start. The issue can only be discussed and decided in a responsible manner if all information is available. Publicity also helps to spend the funds more efficiently, therefore transparency would be essential in the case of such a large investment involving public funds. The Power Plant claimed that it was not a public service company and refused to disclose the information. The Energiaklub filed for a lawsuit against the company in the framework of the Control Energy Program. The binding verdict dated 27 April 2011 laid down as a principle that the Paks Nuclear Power Plant, indirectly owned by the state through the Hungarian Power Companies Ltd. (Magyar Villamos Művek Zrt.), “manages public assets and therefore is obliged to undertake citizen monitoring”, and bound the company to disclose the data.