SLOVAKIA/FILE: Slovak energy company CES says proposedpower station on Slovak/Hungarian border should not adversely affect Hungary's Tokaj wine region

Slovak energy company CES says its own research suggests its plans for a new coal-fired power station on the Slovak/Hungarian border will not have adverse effects on Hungary's Tokaj wine region. An abandoned sugar factory in the town of Trebisov near the Hungarian-Slovak border is earmarked as the location of a new coal-fired power station that would be the largest in the country, if it goes ahead. Slovak company Ceskoslovenska Energetica Spolocnost (CES) intends to build a more than 880 mega-watt power plant with a 163 metre high chimney on the outskirts of the town. Construction is expected to start in 2008. "The new project of establishing a new energy source came about after a thorough analysis of Slovakia's energy situation," says CES spokesperson Eva Sagalova. "On the basis of this analysis we came to the conclusion that Slovakia will not be self-sufficient in its energy production in the next few years, which would be a big problem for our country. We decided on Trebisov as a location as our analysis showed east Slovakia as being the most under-resourced area in terms of energy, in the country. The only source there is the Vojany power plant. It will undertake a complete reconstruction soon and all of its generators will be taken off line," she added. But there has been strong opposition to the project, particularly from Hungary, which is concerned that emissions from the plant will affect the country's famous Tokaj wine region, which is just 25 kilometres away. Environmental groups say that emissions from the plant could upset the chemical composition of the soil and even affect the local climate. The distinctive flavour of the Tokaj wines owes much to the climate of the region. "Not only Hungarian people are against this power plant," says spokesman for Greenpeace Slovakia, Juraj Rizman. "It also concerns the Slovak wine producers and Trebisov citizens. The power plant is located in the north of the town and there are often northerly winds which would cause all the dust and ash to blow directly into this Tokaj area. The winds blowing from the north to the south should, according to the calculations, bring the pollution directly into this rare wine region," he added. But CES says its own research doesn't support such findings. "During all our calculating and investigations during a worst-case scenario, the results show that the power plant emissions will meet all the standards strict criteria. The emissions should not affect the Tokaj region as it has been stated," Sagalova says. Greenpeace says Slovakia should be looking at alternative methods of energy production, rather than building a new coal-powered station. "We see another way to resolve the energy situation without another thermal power plant in this region. Above all is the fact that Slovakia has development plans based on nuclear energy and the use of renewable sources of energy," Rizman says. There has been ongoing action against the power station plans from local residents, environmentalists and the Hungarian wine-makers. This is set to continue as the Slovak government does its own research into the possible environmental impact. If the plant is approved by the parliament, it is expected the plant will employ 350 people directly, and create 1500 indirect jobs. The first electricity is expected to be produced in 2012.

ITN Source | October 8, 2007

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