In a remote corner of Hungary close to the Ukrainian border engineers are starting work on construction of the biggest power station in the former communist states of south-east Europe since the fall of the Berlin Wall.

The first pair of 400MW units at the €1.5bn ($2.3bn, £1.2bn) plant at Nyírtass are due on stream in 2011, with another four due for completion in 2013.

“Hungary suffers from a severe energy shortage as a result of a large stock of older, low-efficiency power stations,” says Istvan Goczi, chief executive of Emfesz, a power distributor. ... Read full article