Hungary not only plans to meet its emission targets and transform the country’s energy system, but it wants to achieve energy autonomy, László Palkovics said on Monday.
The minister had been in Luxembourg to discuss the topical issue with the EU Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson, and said following the meeting that “in terms of energy supply, Hungary should be as independent as possible.”
Palkovics said he wanted to create a sustainable system in Hungary “based on locally produced energy,” and invited the European Union to help fund investments in greener energy projects, insisting that sustainable energy was not just a Hungarian objective but a European one.
In addition to commenting on Hungary’s long-term aims for carbon neutrality by 2050, the industry minister also discussed the short to medium-term concerns surrounding energy supply in the wake of the Russo-Ukrainian conflict.
Palkovics said that the government expected 80 percent of natural gas storage facilities to be filled with gas reserves ahead of the winter to ensure Hungary’s energy security, and revealed that more than two-thirds of the required amount had already been stored.
Photo credit: MTI