In an interview with public radio on Sunday, Energy Minister Csaba Lantos emphasized the need to strengthen Hungary’s energy sovereignty.
“We are highly dependent on foreign suppliers when it comes to energy,” he told Kossuth Radio. “This dependence has to be reduced.” Though Hungary’s natural resources are not limitless, “we are not completely helpless,” Lantos said. He noted that in 2021 the country’s annual natural gas consumption came to around 10 billion cubic meters, 1.5 billion of which can be produced domestically. The aim, he said, was to increase domestic natural gas extraction to 2 billion cubic meters a year. Also, Hungary will continue to make use of weather-dependent renewable energy sources like solar and wind energy, Lantos said. Hungary’s solar plants were originally planned to reach a capacity of 6,000 megawatts by 2030, but that goal is now ahead of schedule, he said. Meanwhile, Lantos said the upgrade of the country’s nuclear plant in Paks could be completed by 2032.