The Hungarian government has announced the appointment of Paks Mayor János Suli as minister without portfolio in charge of overseeing and managing the upgrade of the Paks nuclear power plant.
According to MTI, Suli’s appointment would be made official within the coming days and he is expected to be sworn in on May 2. Given that Suli is currently mayor of Paks, a by-election will have to be held in the town to replace him.
The government’s goal is to have the Paks plant provide for 50 percent of Hungary’s electricity consumption, with the remainder to be derived from renewable energy sources, mainly solar energy. The nuclear plant’s purpose is to provide cheap electricity to households and the economy.
The government will earmark 1.5 billion HUF (4.8m EUR) for development projects in Paks and surrounding municipalities this year.