Is this how Hungary might escape the energy crisis?
With the current energy crisis, it is vital that Hungary uses its thermal water resources more efficiently. The government supports the sustainable utilisation of thermal water, in addition, the European Union also wants to give a more prominent role to the use of thermal energy as a replacement for fossil energy.
Governmental support for rural development
The 11th Hungarian Paprika Day in Szentes was the largest and most popular paprika event of all time, reports magyarmezogazdasag.hu. Tamás Tarpataki said in his presentation that, thanks to the 80 percent domestic co-financing of the rural development programme, compared to the previous EU cycle, the amount of funds available for rural development will increase by three times, to HUF 4,265 billion (EUR 10.6 million). The government aims to make farming a profitable and socially recognised occupation. In addition, they would like agriculture to become attractive to young people. The Ministry of Agriculture plans to make the regulation and support system simpler and more transparent.
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The European Union has increased the budget, too
It is not only the Hungarian government that is funding the rural development programmes, but also the EU. In the new EU budget cycle, they announced HUF 30 billion (EUR 74.62 million) budget for the modernisation of horticultural plants, but given the extraordinary interest, this was increased to HUF 68 billion (EUR 169.1 million), writes piacesprofit.hu. Thanks to the planting subsidies, around 2,600 new modern plantations can be created, and HUF 26 billion (EUR 64.6 million) can be spent on the purchase of machines and equipment. For these developments, the EU requirement is to reduce water consumption by 10-15 percent. The deputy state secretary also explained that in the case of these developments, the amount of support is 50 percent, but they can provide 70 percent for irrigation communities.
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Is thermal energy the solution for the crisis?
Based on the data of the National Energy and Climate Plan (NEM), only 10-15% of Hungary’s geothermal potential is currently utilised. The NEM aims to encourage the use of renewable energy sources. Moreover, they plan to significantly increase the share of energy production, and explore the locations of geothermal production projects in the state research programme. The European Union may give a prominent role to the use of thermal energy as a replacement for fossil energy. The government took the initiative to change the deadline for achieving good water status to 2027. This was necessary so that sufficient time would be available for those using thermal energy already in operation to transform their water extraction and drainage according to sustainable rules, or to ensure the appropriate disposal of water.
Source: magyarmezogazdasag.hu, piacesprofit.hu