Hungary’s National Development Ministry wants to reduce the minimum safety zone around the Paks nuclear power plant, the country’s only commercial source of nuclear energy, from 3,000 to 500 metres, the draft of a decree published on the government’s internet portal shows.

Experience with operating existing nuclear power plant blocks shows that people in the safety zone, and even those in the plant, for prolonged periods of time are not exposed to radiation levels over the norm, according to the draft. International experience also shows that maintaining the 3,000-metre safety zone is unnecessary, the ministry said.

The decree would reduce the safety zone for radioactive waste depots from 500 to 100 meters.

The minimum safety zone around research reactors would remain 100 meters under the decree.