Hungary closes its last coal-fired power station, builds first gas-fired power plant

A tender for the conversion of the lignite-fueled Mátra Power Plant to a combined-cycle gas turbine plant has been successfully closed, Energy Minister Csaba Lantos said at a conference organised by the Hungarian Hydrogen Technology Association on Thursday.
New, CCGT power plant to be built
Lantos noted that the tender was the first of three for CCGT power plants to be successfully closed. A condition of the Mátra Power Plant tender was ensuring the facility could operate with 30pc hydrogen, he added. Lantos said all efforts would be made to advance the green transition, but “the reality” was that large-capacity power plants would need to be put online rapidly in the coming 20-25 years to meet demand.

Lantos noted that more than one-fourth of Hungary’s electricity had come from renewables in 2024. Solar power capacity stands at 7,550 MW, he added. Lantos said Hungary’s current hydrogen strategy needed to be reviewed and a predictable, simple and transparent national regulatory framework established.
István Lepsényi, the head of the Hungarian Hydrogen Technology Association, highlighted the need to support the establishment of a hydrogen ecosystem.
Zoltán Áldott, who chairs the supervisory board of oil and gas company MOL, which hosted the conference at its Budapest HQ, said both green hydrogen and low-emissions hydrogen needed support.
Government-close businessmen among the winners
According to 24.hu, the winner of the tender was a consortium of Status KPRIA, the Egyptian Elsewedyvel and West Hungária Bau. The estimated price of the investment is 14.74 million euros. The Status KPRIA is in the interest of Lőrinc Mészáros, the wealthiest Hungarian, who acquired most of his wealth thanks to the numerous public procurements he won one after the other. West Hungária Bau is in the interest of István Tiborcz, the son-in-law of PM Orbán.
According to the Hungarian News Agency, the consortium will build a 500-650 MW CCGT power plant to replace the 884 MW lignited-fueled Matra Power Plant which generates close to one-tenth of Hungary’s electricity and accounts for almost 5pc of the country’s carbon emissions. Emissions of the gas-fueled plant will be just one-fourth of the lignite-fueled one. State-owned energy group MVM will finalise the financing structure for construction of the CCGT power plant after the contract with the winning consortium is signed.
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Meanwhile, China opens a new coal power plant every single week.
This is lunacy!