Budapest  - Hungary's Prime Minister vowed on Monday to double power production at his country's sole nuclear power plant, in the wake of January's gas spat between Russia and Ukraine.

Ferenc Gyurcsany cited improving Hungary's energy security situation as he urged lawmakers in the Budapest parliament to back his scheme to expand the plant at Paks, the country's only nuclear reactor, this year.

Analysts said the expansion could only be funded by foreign investors, as the government is currently in dire financial straits.

Any expansion is expected to take at least 10 years, with the first of any new reactor units possibly being connected to the national grid by 2020.

Paks is located 100 kilometres south of Budapest, and was designed by the Soviets. It supplies 40 per cent of Hungary's electricity. (dpa)