renewable energy

Budapest to encourage using solar energy

Solar Panel Napelem Construction

Budapest’s climate strategy objectives cannot be met without condominiums embarking on solar energy projects, Mayor Gergely Karácsony told a conference on the subject on Wednesday.

In his opening address, the mayor urged that “bureaucratic obstacles” in the way of generating solar and wind energy, and suggested that those hindrances were “in fact based on political reasons”.

Karácsony said the city of Budapest could help condomiums “resume an ambitious trend … of an exponential growth in the utilisation of solar energy” once the red tape was removed. He said the city’s poor finances did not allow for financing partially or in full such projects, but could provide services, such as planning or consultancy.

Once “bank interest rates are normalised” and the regulatory environment “offers opportunities” the municipality of Budapest could “do a lot for the buy-in of Budapest residents and have them participate in the energy revolution,” the mayor said.

Featured image: illustration

Read also:

Green opposition: Govt has failed to meet pledges on wind turbines

wind turine

The government has so far failed to deliver on the pledges it made in connection with wind turbines as part of its efforts to access EU recovery funding, the deputy group leader of green opposition LMP said on Monday.

The government pledged to abolish by March 31 “the absurd restrictions” on the installation of wind turbines, Antal Csardi told a press conference. It also pledged to conduct a broad public consultation on the matter and to launch “a transparent and comprehensive dialogue” with local governments by the deadline, he said.

“LMP last week sought the opportunity for consultation and draft legislation on changing the regulation on wind turbines in a lot of places, but could not find them,” said Csárdi.

“The government insists on using Russian fossil energy which is however not cheap, and will not be so, and it is, in addition, dangerous.”

“We know there is a disagreement within [ruling] Fidesz about wind turbines and that the prime minister is one of those opposing them. And although he seemed to join the camp of supporters with the EU funds in mind, still nothing has happened,” Csárdi said, adding that parliament’s Fidesz majority had voted down every proposal LMP had submitted in the past on permitting the use of wind turbines.

“We will, however, not allow the issue to be removed from parliament’s agenda and will keep submitting our proposal … until the government has no other option but to fulfill its own commitments,” Csárdi said.

Read also:

4th Budapest LNG Summit – Foreign minister: past winter in Europe had been mild, the next heating season to be more difficult

4th Budapest LNG Summit

The current situation on the energy market is “killing” Europe’s competitiveness, Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, told a conference in Budapest on Monday, adding that the only solution was to expand the natural gas sources available to the continent.

Addressing the 4th Budapest LNG Summit, Szijjártó said it had become clear last year that energy security in Europe had been “an illusion”. According to a ministry statement, Szijjarto argued that the war in Ukraine and the “failure” of the response measures to it had at one point resulted in a tenfold increase in the price of gas.

Concerning the sabotage of the Nord Stream offshore pipeline, Szijjártó said it was “insane” that there had been “no international, impartial, independent investigation” of the incident.

“Imagine the same thing in America . imagine the reaction there,” he said.

Meanwhile, Szijjártó said there had been waves of “fake news” across Europe before the winter concerning high gas storage levels, pointing out that there had been little mention of storage levels relative to consumption.

Szijjártó said that though the past winter in Europe had been mild, experts were projecting the next heating season to be more difficult due to the loss of at least 50 billion cubic metres of Russian natural gas, the increased demand resulting from the reboot of the Chinese economy and limited European LNG capacities.

The current situation is “killing” Europe’s competitiveness, he said, arguing that the price of natural gas on the continent was seven times as high as in the United States, while electricity cost three times as much as in China.

Szijjártó said the solution under the current circumstances was to focus on supply rather than demand, and import as much gas to Europe as possible.

He said it was regrettable that the European Union had extended an earlier regulation cutting the use of natural gas by 15 percent, saying that in the summer, energy could only be saved by reducing industrial consumption.

He reiterated that Hungary viewed energy security as a physical issue, rather than an ideological or political one, and considered diversification to mean procuring energy from as many resources as possible, not “changing the geographical direction” of energy dependence.

As regards new energy sources, the minister mentioned the import of gas from Azerbaijan as the number one option, noting that a political agreement had been reached on deliveries of around 100 cubic metres of Azeri gas to Hungary this year. Afterward, annual deliveries could reach 2 billion cubic metres in the framework of a long-term contract, he added. This, he said, required infrastructure developments.

The other option is to bring in LNG from Croatia, Greece, Turkiye and Poland, he said, adding that this also demanded the expansion of network capacities, which required EU resources.

Szijjártó said that though some in Brussels did not want to continue financing the development of gas infrastructures, this would be a mistake, because Europe needed to survive until new technologies were in place.

Hungary’s government will continue fighting for infrastructure developments, otherwise it would be “very very complicated” to ensure the energy security of countries like Hungary, he said.

Hungary’s solar feed-in halt threatens EU funds access

house

In October 2022, the Hungarian government introduced a moratorium on solar panel feed-in. However, according to a package of proposals issued by the European Commission at the end of November, Hungary will have to lift it by the end of 2024 at the latest if the country wishes to receive EU funds to improve its energy security system.

The state secretary responsible for energy and climate policy says that the system must be improved to ensure energy security. To prefinance this, the government would use EU funds, reports ATV.

Introduction of the moratorium

In October, Gergely Gulyás, the minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, explained the decision to introduce the moratorium by saying that the grid would be overloaded if the feed-in of solar panel systems to the grid was not suspended.

The moratorium did not apply to those who already had installed solar panels or were planning to do so, and had submitted their application to connect to the grid by 31 October 2022. However, those who submitted their application after that date are not be able to connect to the grid at present.

The European Commission’s proposal

The European Commission submitted a package of proposals in November 2022, which also included the moratorium introduced by the Hungarian government. The European Commission submitted a package of proposals in November 2022, which also included a moratorium in Hungary. Regarding the moratorium, it states that the halt must be lifted by 31 December 2024 at the latest. If the government fails to do so, Hungary will not receive the grants from the Recovery and Resilience Facility (RRF). This would mean losing more than HUF 2300 billion (more than EUR 5.8 billion) in subsidies.

Attila Steiner, state secretary responsible for energy and climate policy spoke about the case on Kossuth Radio’s Jó reggelt Magyarország! (Good morning Hungary!) programme on Monday.

Basically, we want to finance part of this with EU RRF funds. And until the funds come in, the government has decided to prefinance these projects so that they can be implemented as soon as possible,

Steiner said.

First deodorant refill station
Read alsoHere is the first deodorant refill station invented by Hungarians

Hungary must enter investment-intensive era in energy sector

factory-energy sector emission caps

Hungary must enter a more investment-intensive era in the energy sector, and the government plans to increase spending by five-fold in the next seven years compared with the past seven years, the minister for energy affairs said on Wednesday.

Csaba Lantos said in an interview to news portal Index that investments must be focused in three areas: renewable energy, network development, and infrastructure that improves flexibility.

Security of supplies, affordability and sustainability are the most important aspects of the current energy sector, he said.

“Energy sovereignty is one of our greatest dilemmas because our country is one of the most dependent within Europe. We must move towards energy sovereignty, even if this is not the most economical solution in the given period,” he added.

Hungary’s electricity consumption is currently 44 terawatt hours, and around 70 percent of it is produced in the country, but there is strong import-dependence, he said. According to current calculations, 68 terawatt hours must be reached by 2030 in order to meet total demand, which in itself represents a 55 percent increase, he added.

Gas consumption dropped by 17 percent last year, which was a considerable success, he said. Within this, there was a 25 percent drop in December, in the heating season, which showed that households and companies were adapting to the situation, he added.

closed restaurant sign
Read alsoHospitality industry in Hungary: Challenges and closures

Here is how Hungarian spas will combat rising energy prices

A lot of people are feeling the effects of energy prices, and spas are certainly no exception. For this reason, several thermal spas in Hungary are trying to improve their energy efficiency, as they could not survive for long without any cost-saving decisions.

Zoltán Balogh, the Secretary of the Hungarian Spa Association, said that spas are trying to fight the spiralling energy prices according to their own abilities and resources. According to him, given Hungary’s resources, several spas could make efficient use of thermal energy of the thermal water for energy management purposes.

The implementation of energy efficiency

Balogh told InfoRadio in a brief interview that since the heat pumps used to utilise heat energy are quite energy-intensive, the additional energy costs have to be met somehow.

The installation of solar panels is a perfect solution for this problem,

he added.

These investments can be achieved by the operators of the spas from their own resources and partly from grant resources. He also pointed out that some grants were already available in 2022. Furthermore, as he said, the association also advocated these grant opportunities, so that as many spas as possible could have access to them, since plenty of them would not be able to operate without any support.

siofok spa
Read alsoCould the Siófok Spa reopen?

Some energy efficiency grants already received

One of the spas that has the opportunity to improve its energy efficiency with grant funding, is the Harkány Thermal Spa in Harkány. According to bama.hu, the spa will use HUF 306 million (EUR 764,000) to build a solar power plant, which will enable it to cover almost 20 percent of its electricity consumption from it own renewable energy.

Harkany-thermal-spa-adventure-pool
Photo: www.facebook.com/harkanygyogyfurdo

At current prices, this could result in annual savings of HUF 120 million (EUR 300,000) on electricity bills,

the news site says.

According to termalonline.hu, the Bocskai Thermal Spa in Hajdúböszörmény has received a HUF 300 million (EUR 748,000) grant.

hajduboszormeny thermal spa
Photo: https://www.facebook.com/bocskaifurdoeskemping

Thanks to this grant, they will utilise the heat from the thermal water. As the mayor of the town said, the spa would be able to heat the building and the swimming pools with the renewable energy. They expect that the thermal energy could cover the entire energy costs of the spa.

széchenyi thermal bath
Read alsoBrutal price rise in the Budapest baths from January – we show a trick to bypass it

First industrial-scale green hydrogen unit arrives in Hungary

Hydrogen bus Hungary energy

Hungary’s first industrial-scale polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) electrolysis unit for producing green hydrogen has arrived at the Bükkábrány solar park, in the northeast of the country, the Meszaros Group’s PR department told MTI on Friday.

The PEM electrolysis unit will turn out 130-150 tonnes of green hydrogen a year, using solar power, when it starts operation in the first half of 2023. The European Union has set a target to produce 10 million tonnes of renewable hydrogen a year by 2030. The Bukkabrany Energy Park belongs to the Mészáros Group’s energy portfolio.

 

Morocco investing $13 billion in phosphate to achieve carbon neutrality before 2040

flag-morocco
King Mohammed VI, chaired, on Saturday December 03, 2022 at the Royal Palace in Rabat, the presentation ceremony of the new green investment program of the OCP Group (2023-2027) and the signing of the relevant protocol agreement between the government and OCP group.
The ceremony is part of the proactive orientation promoted by the King, for many years, in matters of transition towards green energies and a low-carbon economy. The ceremony comes in the morrow of the work meeting presided over by the Sovereign, last November 22, devoted to the development of renewable energies and to the new perspectives in the field.
At the beginning of the ceremony, OCP Group Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Mostafa Terrab, presented before the results of the group’s first investment program, which helped solidly anchor OCP in the fertilizers market. By trebling its fertilizer production capacity, OCP group is today positioned as one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of phosphate fertilizers.
The group relied on the research and development capabilities of the Mohammed VI Polytechnic University (UM6P) to seize the opportunities offered by the new industrial and digital technologies and to develop expertise in innovative technologies for balanced fertilization to take up the challenges of sustainable agriculture and food security.
Mr. Terrab then made an exposé before King Mohammed VI on the group’s new investment program. The program revolves around increasing the fertilizer production capacities while committing to achieve carbon neutrality before 2040 by relying on the unique source of renewable energies as well as on the Kingdom’s progress in this field.
By investing in solar and wind power, the group plans to feed all its industrial facilities with green energy by 2027.
The low-carbon energy will also be used to supply the new seawater desalination capacities in order to meet the group’s needs and provide the areas around OCP sites with drinking and irrigation water.
This investment will help the group, first world importer of ammonia, to eventually end reliance on these imports by also investing in renewable energy – green hydrogen – green ammonia sector, allowing the group to strongly enter the market of green fertilizer and of fertilization solutions adapted to the specific needs of different soils and crops.
This ambition will be backed by supporting programs for industrial SMEs and those operating in the sectors of energy and agriculture, hence, favoring the emergence of an innovative national ecosystem and the creation of new employment and job integration opportunities for the youth.
The new program, which will help consolidate OCP’s world position, provides for a global investment of 13 billion dollars (130 billion dirhams) over the period 2023-2027, the achievement of a local integration rate of 70%, the backing of 600 Moroccan industrial enterprises and the creation of 25000 direct and indirect jobs.
To this end, His Majesty the King presided over the signing of a protocol agreement related to this investment program between the government and OCP group, respectively represented by the Ministers of the Interior, of the Economy and Finance, of Equipment and Water, of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development, of Investment, Convergence and Assessment of Public Policies, on the one hand, and by the OCP Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, on the other.
This ceremony was attended by the Head of Government, the Advisors to His Majesty and members of the Government.”

Chinese resources to flood the Hungarian green energy market

Solar Panel Napelem Construction

The Hungarian state has already issued two green panda bonds. The reason was to attract finance from China for various climate-friendly investments. Hungary’s climate ambitions have been boosted by the European energy crisis. Now, they need capital to finance these expenditures.

Green panda bonds

“Projects to help Hungary’s transition into a low-carbon and environmentally sustainable economy are about to get a big push. Hundreds of millions of dollars will pour into the country’s budget thanks to the cooperation between China and Hungary,” Chinese state news channel CGTN starts its article on Hungarian green panda bonds. “Harvesting the sun’s energy, turning wind power into electricity, and reducing dependence on fossil fuels requires ingenuity and financial commitments,” the article continues.

Cooperation

“Green investment is crucial for our global efforts against climate change and to achieve sustainable development,” CGTN quotes Zhao Lei, Assistant CEO of the Bank of China, as saying. Zhao Lei went on to say that the bank had worked with the Hungarian government to help the transition to clean energy. They did it by allowing them to access the Chinese green bond market, the world’s largest green financing framework, napi.hu reports.

Goals for 2030

“We have financed many local enterprises and overseas Chinese enterprises for their green projects, such as providing a Hungarian forint-denominated loan to the largest solar power plant in Hungary,” added Zhao. Hungary’s climate ambitions have been boosted by the European energy crisis. The country aims to generate 90 percent of its electricity from low-carbon sources by 2030. This means mainly solar power, because wind turbines are still banned.

Chinese funds

Hungary most recently secured the funds by issuing a EUR 282 million (HUF 111.26 billion) green panda bond, a renminbi (Chinese currency)-denominated government bond. This is the second time that the Bank of China has assisted the Hungarian government in issuing green panda bonds. Hungary issued the first such series last December for USD 157 million. Both bonds are exclusively dedicated to sustainable energy and green projects.

paks_nuclear_plant_hungary
Read alsoNew Hungarian nuclear power plant could be built on fault line?

Minister Palkovics resigns over energy policy, Orbán set up an independent energy ministry

Hungarian government cabinet meeting

The government is setting up an independent energy ministry, and Prime Minister Viktor Orbán has tapped economist Csaba Lantos as minister, the prime minister’s chief of staff told a press conference on Monday.

At the same time, Orbán accepted the resignation of incumbent technology and industry minister Laszlo Palkovics, Gergely Gulyás said. The technology and industry ministry will be dissolved, and its tasks will be taken over by the ministries of economy, construction and investment, and culture and innovation, Gulyás said.

Thanking Palkovics for his work, Gulyás said the outgoing minister will not take on another role in government but help its work in the areas of higher education, vehicle innovation and the defence industry.

Parliamentary committees will hear Lantos in the coming two weeks, and he is expected to enter office on December 1, Gulyás said.

The government is not planning further reshuffles, he added.

The upgrade of the Paks nuclear plant will not be under the new minister’s purview, due to a European Commission requirement that it should be supervised separately from energy provider MVM, Gulyás said. At the same time, responsibility for energy safety and energy security will rest on the minister’s shoulders, he added.

The ministry will coordinate energy policy and take over most competencies of the energy authority, he said.

Lantos is a vocal supporter of increasing the role of wind energy in Hungary, so his appointment is in line with recently prepared legislation to change the regulation of wind turbines, Gulyás said. The government proceeded with that independently from the change of ministers, as part of its effort to access EU recovery funding in the sector, he said.

Lantos is an “economist with excellent management skills”, and renowned for his work as the leader of the natural gas trader MET group, Gulyás said.

Hungarian Households have until Oct. 31 to apply for solar panel licences

house

Households can apply for a licence to equip their homes with solar panels until October 31, a state secretary at the ministry of technology and industry said in an interview published by index.hu on Thursday.

Referring to recently passed regulations, Attila Steiner said that the licencing procedure was now simpler and faster, however, household solar power systems licenced after November 1 would not have an opportunity to feed the energy produced in excess of their own consumption back to the national network. Increased solar energy production now requires major upgrades to the national grid, he added. “The network needs to be stabilised so that everybody has access,” the state secretary said.

Steiner said the restriction did not apply to households submitting their requests for a licence before October 31, similarly to already licenced and operating installations.

What happens with the Internet, phone service in Hungary, if there was no power?

transmission voltage electricity

All over Europe, emergency plans are being prepared for winter. In Hungary, the internet or telephone might be in danger in case of energy shortage. 

No power, no telecommunication?

According to Reuters, mobile phones could go dark around Europe this winter if power cuts or energy rationing knock out parts of the mobile networks across the region. The European state bodies of the individual countries have begun preparing the emergency plans for the rotational disconnection of the power supply. The electricity would be switched off at pre-announced times, alternating by region, with the exception of essential services such as hospitals or the police. However, the telecommunications sector fears that they will have difficulties. This is why discussions have begun at European level between telecommunications companies. They plan to bring telecommunications infrastructure to protected consumers, avoiding potential disconnection.

No panic, but preparations in Hungary

Although there is no panic in Hungary on the surface, preparations have begun. In the country, no one worries about the lack of electricity. The energy office, however, should plan ahead in which order certain consumption blocks will be switched off as the last step in a so-called rotational shutdown order if an emergency power supply system is needed. In addition, there is an attempt to position the telecommunications sector in such a way that all elements of the network are classified as protected consumers, that is, they cannot be disconnected.

Hungarian Telekom is trying to reduce energy consumption

The Hungarian Telekom told Portfolio about their plans to reduce the company’s energy consumption. Moreover, they look for opportunities to use renewable energy sources. In recent years, Telekom tried to shift its customers’ data usage from 3G technology to the 4G network, which has almost nationwide coverage and provides a better customer experience. Finally, they terminated their service on June 30 this year on their redundant 3G network. Turning off barely used 3G definitely means energy savings, the company said. In addition, the company’s goal is to make more different green/renewable energy sources part of their consumption.

Telekom is also prepared to handle power outages. The company’s service and network operator center maintains regular contact with the regionally competent energy providers. Through the connection, it acquires information about planned power outages, so it is constantly preparing for them by providing an alternative energy source.

Hungarian Greens lament parliament committee’s ‘vote against wind turbines’

wind electricity

Parliament’s economic committee on Tuesday voted against the opposition LMP’s proposal to table a debate in the chamber on the use of wind energy in Hungary, even though Prime Minister Viktor Orbán recently indicated the government was mulling the same, a party lawmaker has said.

László Lóránt Keresztes, who also heads the sustainable development committee, told a press conference that the government was still reluctant to “amend its energy policy that has made the country vulnerable while failing to strengthen our [energy] independence”.

Meanwhile, Keresztes insisted the government was using administrative measures to hobble the construction of wind turbines in Hungary. Since the prime minister “recently admitted the government itself is divided on the issue”, it would have been all the more advisable to table it in parliament, an opportunity the committee just thwarted, he said.

range rover hungarian company
Read alsoHungarians are working on the latest Range Rover!

Hungarian government announces the level of filling of natural gas storage facilities

palkovics

Hungary’s energy dependency has dropped significantly in the recent period, the minister of technology and industry said on Tuesday.

In his opening address at the 52nd International Gas Conference in Siófok, in western Hungary, László Palkovics said that ten years ago Hungary only had two gas transmission stations. Now, only in the direction of Slovenia is a gas transmission station not operational despite the existing infrastructure, he added.

“Currently a reduced amount of natural gas is flowing in from the north and east, but long-term natural gas purchase contracts and market conditions enable us to acquire all the natural gas we need,” he added.

Hungary’s natural gas storage capacities were at 72 percent on Monday, he said.

According to the best-case scenario, commercial gas deliveries from the south would be sufficient for Hungary to manage the heating season up until sometime in March, though in any case the country by now has enough gas in storage for the winter to be manageable, he said.

Hungary’s electricity network is hooked up to all surrounding countries with adequate bandwidth and stable supplies, he said.

Furthermore, with the right quantity and quality of crude arriving through the Druzhba pipeline, Hungary can replace the amount taken out of its strategic stockpile, he added.

Palkovics said that a review of Hungary’s energy strategy was under way, with the headline aim of reducing the proportion of natural gas in the energy mix. At present, gas in addition to gas-powered district heating and electricity production accounts for 44-45 percent of the total. By 2050, hopefully gas will only be used to offset weather-dependent, renewable energy sources, he added.

Palkovics said that to satisfy growing demand for electricity, the network would have to undergo major development, with gains in energy efficiency a priority.

Fully 31 projects worth 16 billion euros are currently planned, with 11 billion to be set aside for upgrading the electricity network, he said. Projects include extending the Paks nuclear power plant by 20 years and upgrading the Matra power plant.

Plans also include increasing domestic natural gas production from the current 1.5 billion cubic meters per year to 2 billion cubic meters, while possible shale gas extraction in the south of the country is also being assessed.

Palkovics said solar power plant capacity had grown faster than planned. By 2025, 8 gigawatt capacity will be available, while this may rise to 12 gigawatts by 2028. The network will have to be upgraded at a pace which makes it possible for this energy to enter the network, he added.

The government also has wind energy on its agenda, he said, adding that the advantage of wind is that a 4-megawatt wind farm takes up far less space than a solar farm of the same capacity.

Timmermans discusses Hungary’s energy and transport plans with Orbán’s cabinet

frans timmermans

Hungary’s energy resources such as geothermal and wind could be made sufficient for the country to become “independent and green”, the technology and industry minister said in Brussels on Monday.

After presenting Hungary’s plans to European Commissioner for the European Green Deal Frans Timmermans, László Palkovics said he briefed the commissioner on Hungary’s planned 16 billion euro revamp of Hungary’s electricity network which would be largely financed from the EU’s Recovery and Resilience Facility.

“The project is about green transition and digitalisation,” Palkovics said. The investment would lean on wind, geothermal and biomass energy, he added.

Hungary could produce more biogas than it does now, he said.

“We currently produce 80 million cubic meters of biogas, whereas we are capable of producing 1.5 billion cubic meters.”

At the same time, Hungary’s economy based on oil and natural gas would need time to transition to green alternatives, “which is why the country has taken a more resolute stance in the EU” on the matter, Palkovics said.

Hungary continues to strive to reduce its dependence on Russian exports and it will eventually gain independence, he said.

Meanwhile, Palkovics said the government’s decree on cutting the red tape for firewood production had been “misinterpreted”, adding that deforestation was not necessary to fulfil demand.

Hungarian local governments call for holding national energy summit

karácsony gergely mayor budapest

The alliance of local governments MÖSZ (Magyar Önkormányzatok Szövetsége) is calling for a national energy summit to be held before the start of the heating season with a view to working out a solution to rising energy prices.

Addressing a press conference on Thursday, Gödöllő Mayor György Gémesi, who heads MÖSZ, said the summit should involve energy experts, service providers, as well as local council and government representatives. He also said MÖSZ wants the government to introduce an energy price cap for localities that will allow them to operate their institutions until 15 April.

In response to a question, Gémesi said rising energy prices were bringing in “enormous revenues” for the central budget. “We’d like … a part of that in the interest of our security,” he said.

Budapest Mayor Gergely Karácsony, a co-leader of the alliance, said MÖSZ was calling for the energy summit so that local councils, the government and energy sector players could agree on a solution that will ensure the provision of public services.

The energy market is currently “extremely unpredictable”, he said, adding that a cap on the price of energy would restore security for a brief period.

Karácsony said MÖSZ encouraged the government to take on an active role in finding a joint European solution to rising energy prices. He added, however, that Hungary’s problems would not be as severe had it invested more in renewable energy and energy efficiency over the last ten years.

Meanwhile, asked about Hungary’s new abortion rules making abortion conditional on the mother listening to the fetus’s heartbeat, Karácsony said: “Without going into this deep ideological and worldview debate, I think people are rightfully upset.” The Budapest city council is prepared to cooperate with the government on programmes aimed at reducing unwanted pregnancies, he said.

Viktor Orbán
Read alsoOfficial: Hungary is not a democratic country, Fidesz disgruntled

Maximum 20% of electric buses run in Hungary compared to the plan

Big promises were made 3 years ago about turning public transportation green in Budapest. “The government is supporting and financing the purchase of three thousand electric buses in this cycle” – stated Chancellor Gergely Gulyás in the spring of 2019. There is no publicly available data on how many are actually on the roads in 2022.

The journalists of Népszava tried to uncover the truth. However, they did not receive answers to their questions from the ministry in charge. The relevant data are also missing from the database of the KSH (Hungarian Central Statistical Office).

Industry experts claim that only a small part of the plans had been carried out. Gellért Patthy, editor of the magyarbusz.info said, while there were more and more e-buses on the roads, there were barely a hundred electric buses running as scheduled.

Financial troubles

For those who are in the bus industry, these numbers are not a surprise. Gergely Gulyás’s plan to buy 3,000 electronic buses in 3 years is financially impossible for the Hungarian government. In the whole of Europe, in 2021, only 3,282 such buses were sold. Back then in 2019, Gulyás said one bus cost HUF 80 million (EUR 201,000). That would have amounted to HUF 240 billion (EUR 604 million) if the original plan came through.

Compared to that, regarding the 2020-2029 project, the government’s budget is currently HUF 36 billion (EUR 90 million). When Népszava contacted the Ministry of Technology and Industry (Technológiai és Ipari Minisztérium) on why they changed plans and what are the results so far, they only got evasive answers about the European Union’s climate goals and the green project.

Importance of green transport

The governing party’s members keep emphasising the importance of using electric buses. After handing over 12 new e-buses in Debrecen in August, the president of the Ministry of Technology and Industry highlighted that due to the country’s exposure to crude oil and natural gas, there was a great need to utilise renewable energy capacities. Since these buses are cheaper to operate, the costs pay off sooner.

Another issue that comes with changing the public transport system is the short capacity of the batteries. Larger batteries take up too much space, and with the smaller ones, to cover the routes of 10 diesel buses, they would need 12-14 electric ones.

Nonetheless, everything else is in favour of operating electric buses in the country, says Gellért Patthy. A political decision has been made to promote electromobility in the EU, which provides almost unlimited support to green projects. This also positively affects the transport companies operating with state and local government funds: European cities are practically competing with each other to run fully electric bus fleets by the time period of 2030 and 2045.

7th Central & Eastern Europe Nuclear Industry Congress in Prague – Energy crisis highlights importance of nuclear energy, says minister

7th Central & Eastern Europe Nuclear Industry Congress in Prague

The importance of nuclear energy in ensuring supply security and a green transition has been made clear by the “largest ever” energy crisis hitting Europe, Péter Szijjártó, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, told the 7th Central & Eastern Europe Nuclear Industry Congress in Prague on Monday.

In his address, Szijjártó called on the European Commission to ensure that nuclear energy will not “in any way” be restricted by the sanctions imposed on Russia after it attacked Ukraine in February, the ministry said. The exemption was declared when the sanctions were adopted, and all EU and national institutions should respect that, Szijjártó said.

“Delaying or hampering nuclear investments can in effect harm the sovereignty of European states, of which energy security is a key element,” Szijjártó said.

Hungary sees nuclear energy, and the upgrade of its nuclear plant in Paks, as key to its energy security, and the institutions slowing the works are harming its sovereignty, he said.

Due to the war in Ukraine and Brussels’ sanctions policy, Europe is now facing the “most severe energy crisis of its history”, which is now casting doubts on the continent’s energy security, he said. Europe’s “overly comfortable” approach to energy supplies has also played a role, he said. Long-term contracts were replaced by spot market deals, transport infrastructure is patchy, and green transition has become a political trend rather than a professional issue, he said.

Under those circumstances, countries will be the best off and most secure if they are able to produce the energy they consume, he said.

This way, nuclear energy will become even more important, as it provides an escape from “utterly irrational international energy prices”. Hungary is therefore working to increase the capacity of its plant as soon as possible, he added.

“Nuclear energy is a safe, cheap and sustainable way to produce energy,” he said.

“The European Green Deal cannot be implemented without nuclear energy.”